Fire and Ice
by Wrenegadewriter
Summary: This takes place after Civil War and Natasha finds out she's pregnant with Steve's baby. Loosely connecting to the movie and Infinity War never happens. Hope you enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: After the war

Natasha Romanoff was furious.

She was sitting on the edge of the roof with her feet dangling over the edge trying to calm herself down. _Fucking Ross. _She thought bitterly.

It had been three days since the fight in Germany, three days since the Avengers had broken up and fallen apart. It had also been three days since Steve Rogers had chosen Bucky over her, best friend over girlfriend, and cast her to the side like a pair of shoes. To be worn at certain times and forgotten at others. She inhaled through her nose and her hand clenched around something in her pocket, _he didn't know, if he had he would've stayed. _

Three days since he had left his pregnant girlfriend behind.

She took out the test and looked at it, her fingertips whitening a she clenched it in a death grip. This shouldn't have been possible, she had been sterilized in the Red Room. Of course, Steve had found a way to get her pregnant.

There was footsteps behind her and she waited in silence as whoever it was shifted behind her. "Nat," it was Tony, of course, "we didn't know this is how Ross would react." She closed her eyes as barely suppressed fury washed through her, "yeah?" She said quietly, "I guess everyone else was to caught up in blaming one another we couldn't even see what a bunch of cowards we have in our government!" Her voice had risen into a shout and she scrambled to her feet, turning on Tony. When he saw her Tony inwardly sighed, her eyes were red and watery and she was looking at him like she wanted to take him out.

"Ross isn't a coward. He's just a human, not an Avenger."

She glared at him, "How can you be defending him!" She spat angrily. He raised his hands, "I'm not, I just think you should realize he's not perfect before you murder him." She laughed darkly and sat back down, "that'll be the day." She muttered and turned to look back out at the horizon.

The reason why she was mad was only partly because of Steve. Earlier in the day Ross had sat the remainder of the Avengers down and asked them what they were planning on doing now that they had lost half their team. When they said they would retire Ross almost had another heart attack. Without the Avengers, when the next villain would rise up there would be no one strong enough to protect them. The military would be defenseless without their enhanced line of defense. A situation that had scared the government so much that they revoked the Sokovia Accords and pardoned the other half of their team.

The simplicity of how easy and fast it had happened, especially when they had just spent days fighting one another made Natasha want to scream.

Tony sat down next to her and noticed the test gripped in her fist. "What's this?" He asked and she hesitated for a moment before answering. "Just a pregnancy test." Was the smooth response and Tony nearly choked. "What?! You're pregnant?" He asked incredulously and she smiled tightly, "apparently Steve managed to push aside the impossible and get me pregnant."

Tony was still trying to process this new information, "does Ross know?" He asked suddenly and she shook her head, "I'd rather not tell him I'm pregnant until other people know." He nodded, "Clint, I guess that makes sense. He is your oldest friend." She stared at him for a moment, "I meant Steve you idiot."

"Oh. Right, of course."

She sighed and closed her eyes, "I just, I really wish Steve were here right now. There's so much I'm not sure about and I'll probably be the world's worst mother." "Hey," Tony leaned forwards and nudged her, "you'll be a great mother Nat, and I promise that until Clint or Steve arrives I'll be here for you."

She looked at him gratefully, "thank you."

"Anytime."


	2. Chapter 2: Fallen and Found

Chapter two: Fallen and Found

Natasha looked in the mirror and sighed. She was dressed in a floor length black gown that embraced her figure and her hair was swept up into a loose bun with small ringlets tucked behind her ears. The reason for the special dress was that today their missing teammates would be coming back and making their first public appearance in a gala that Tony was throwing.

For the last week he had thrown himself into tracking everyone down and getting ahold of them. He made it very clear that it was not a trap and the news broadcasting their pardons were, in fact, very much true. So far, Sam, Wanda, Rhodey, Tony, and Natasha were all going. Steve had not been confirmed although Tony had managed to speak to him.

Natasha's stomach clenched and she tensed. Lately her morning sickness (which was unfortunately _not _limited to the morning) had been acting up. There was no way she could be sick right now, not when they were seconds away from leaving. Taking deep breaths she pressed both her hands to her stomach. There was a bump there but not noticeable unless she wasn't wearing anything, something she definitely planned on not doing at this event.

"Natasha? It's time to go."

Tony poked his head in and she turned, dropping her hands.

"Are you okay?"

He asked concerned and she nodded, careful as she walked forwards.

"I'm fine, it's just the baby."

Tony pursed his lips and helped her down the stairs and to the car that would drive them to the gala. "Is that, a self driving car?" She asked as they both got into the backseat. Tony nodded proudly, "I had it made when I started planning the gala. I figured since I would have my hands full with Legolas and Baby Widow here, then I needed to have one less thing to stress me out." Natasha's eyebrows skyrocketed, "Baby Widow?" She repeated and Tony patted her abdomen, "You're the Widow, and he's the baby. Baby Widow." Natasha sat back, "I'm pretty sure that I can say on behalf of the baby that we hate that nickname. Besides I don't know if it's a he or not." Tony shrugged, "whatever you say."

The ride to the event was uneventful. To pass the time Tony bored Natasha out of her skull with a long list of boring sounding meetings. By the time they pulled up to the sleek red carpet rolled out in front of the building, she had seriously been contemplating knocking him out.

Then she looked out the window and paled.

"Why are there so many people?"

Tony barely gave a glance at the massive hordes of fans waiting excitedly for a glimpse of the superheroes.

"It's not that many. Besides, me and Clint will be there to protect you from the masses."

Natasha swallowed and nodded. Mustering up the courage she opened the door and stepped out of the car.

Almost as soon as her foot was out the door the fans started to scream. As Natasha stepped away from the car though, she was only aware of two things, the cameras clicking away and the ever present prickling sensation in her stomach. A hand at the small of her back made her jump slightly and she looked up. Tony stared back at her worriedly.

"You okay?"

She nodded and allowed him to lead her down the carpet and into the gala. As she walked Natasha's fears melted away and she even managed a few smiles in the directions of the cameras tracking them. So far, so good.

They were mostly down the carpet and nearing the stone steps leading inside when the crowds let out another roar. Turning they watched as Clint Barton got out of a sleek blue sports car and struck a few poses before walking towards them.

"Tasha!" He exclaimed happily when he'd reached them, he enfolded her into a big hug before drawing back and inspecting her. "That dress looks amazing I can tell why Steve fell for you." He teased and she blushed, "yeah, yeah."

The dress _was_ stunning. It was black and cinched in at the waist before flowing down to her feet. There were two small straps that crisscrossed over her shoulders, forming an hourglass pattern against her back.

Tony, impatient with their conversation, tugged them onwards. "How does it fell to be pregnant?" Clint asked as they walked. Natasha gaped at him, "how do you know that? Did Tony tell you?" Clint nodded, "congratulations by the way, you'll be a great mother." She raised an eyebrow but left the comment unanswered as they entered the main room.

From the moment they entered the gala they had little time to talk to one another. They found Rhodey and Sam already there and then immersed themselves in the crowd, taking pictures and signing autographs. True to their word Clint and Tony attached themselves to her side and stayed with her as she moved throughout the event.

After a while they headed towards the stage where they would answer questions. As Natasha went she couldn't help but continually scan the crowds for Steve. So far he hadn't turned up and she tried to shrug off the thought that maybe he didn't want to come back. He had to, for the baby's sake.

Unbeknownst to her, Steve was driving towards the gala at the very moment. He was wearing a dark black suit and nerves were eating away at his stomach. He had received the calls from Tony and let him know he was fine. He had not however returned the call around the gala, he had been to caught up on getting back to New York as fast as he could.

When he pulled up the amount of fans screaming was disorienting. Nevertheless he stepped out of his car, plastered on a perfect smile, and headed off to go meet the love of his life.

The questions were horrible. Every one directed at Natasha was either about her and Steve, or about her lifestyle. And while she certainly wasn't about to talk about her childhood she also was not in the mood to talk about her relationships.

She was standing in between Tony and Clint when she caught a flash of blond hair at the back of the room. Her breath caught and she studied the back of the room, because it had been Steve. She was sure of it, even if she couldn't see him she knew he was here.

"Hey, Clint. I think-"

And then the floor exploded.

Smoke billowed up and Natasha was thrown to the ground as screams erupted around her. A pair of hands yanked her upright and Tony thrust her towards Clint, "remember the plan?" He yelled and Clint nodded. Quickly he pulled Natasha along to the back of the stage before thrusting a bundle towards her. "Change quickly." He yelled and she did as she was told.

Once she was dressed in jeans, jacket, and boots Clint grabbed her arm and ran with her for the doors. Smoke was everywhere and she coughed as the air soured. "Where are the others?" She yelled and Clint pulled her close, diving behind a pillar as flames licked their way across the floor. "The others are creating a diversion, we need to get you out of here!" Natasha was about to respond when she gagged and immediately threw up. Clint rubbed her back as she heaved and anxiously kept watch as she heaved.

When she was done they ran. Smoke was blinding them and rubble was all over the floor. Somehow they made it to the door and they ran down the steps with only minimal stumbling. They'd just reached the bottom of the steps when suddenly a deep pain in her stomach made Natasha double over. She cried out as it changed becoming more painful and her lungs seemed to burn.

"Tasha!"

Clint was at her side in an instant as she collapsed to her knees and then to her side.

"Are you hurt? What's wrong?"

She groaned and her breathing cane sharp and fast as the pain in her lungs seemed to get stronger. Clint quickly searched her for injuries and when there none he realized with a start that it was internal.

"This will hurt, I'm so sorry."

Bending over he scooped her up and lifted her into his arms. Natasha felt like a knife had been driven into her chest and she flinched, crying out again. Clint gritted his teeth and was about to take a step forwards when a new voice spoke at his shoulder.

"Nat?"

She blinked, every breath painful. Slowly a face came into focus, blond hair, bright blue eyes that were currently shadowed with worry, the face of her super soldier. Clint stumbled and Steve quickly hoisted her into his arms, before turning to Clint.

"What the hell is going on?" He yelled and Clint shook his head, "I don't know. Right now our main priority is Natasha, we have to get her to safety."

Steve nodded and they ran for the garage. When they reached the car and discovered it was locked Clint nearly kicked it in frustration, "of course Tony didn't tell us the password." He growled and cast a worried glance at Natasha who was stirring.

"He told me," she said and struggled to her feet, "Baby Widow." She said as clearly as she could. They all heard the locks pop up and quickly they scrambled in.

It was only after they were some distance away from the bombed event center that Steve spoke again.

"Why Baby Widow?"

He sounded puzzled and Clint glanced at Natasha who looked like she would pass out.

"You didn't hear? Natasha's pregnant."

"What?!" Steve was shocked, "you're pregnant?"

Natasha nodded and sucked in another pained breath, "nine weeks so far." She closed her eyes and rested her hand on her stomach, her baby would be fine. It had to be. She opened her eyes when a all familiar, very dreaded, clench happened.

"Stop the car!"

She yelled. Clint did, throwing Steve into the window, he raced over to Natasha's side of the car and held her hair back as she heaved again. She was trembling and sweaty by the time she finished puking up every last bit of her dinner.

"I think," she started and swayed as she dragged herself to her feet. She met Clint's worried eyes and tried again, "I think that somethings wrong."

And then she collapsed.


	3. Chapter 3: Promises

**Okay. So first off, thank you to everyone who takes time out of your day to read this, it means a lot to me. Second, I am under a lot of pressure right now with school and this huge writing assignment thats due soon, so Im sorry if its taking some time to upload chapters. I promise that I'll post more and longer chapters soon though. :)**

Everything _was happening in a blur._

_She was crushed to someone's chest while someone yelled her name. She blinked and suddenly there was sirens and flashing lights were dancing across her vision. Something's wrong, she thought and tried to rise. Almost immediately hands pinned her down and she squirmed weakly wanting to yell. _

_Let me go! _

_And then the hands disappeared and she was suddenly on her back on a soft surface feeling her eye forced open and a bright light shined in. She wrenched her head to the side and suddenly there was something sharp pressing against her stomach. Oh god, her stomach. Her baby. Let me go! She cried out and struck out blindly. _

_The walls peeled back to a dark room and she was suddenly chained to the floor, Stone manacles chafing her wrists. Her throat was raw and she couldn't move her body. Where am I? She tried in vain to move but to no avail. "My dear Natalia, you didn't really think that you would escape me?" She froze as the quiet menacing voice echoed all around her. She jerked back and looked around. Except for the stone walls of her prison however, she couldn't see anything. That voice though, she knew it. _

_The next second though the voice was driven out of her head and she was throwing herself against her restraints. Because a baby had started crying. And somehow she knew that it was hers. Someone had taken her baby and she could only listen as the terrified wails reverberated inside her skull. Tears streamed down her face and she wrenched harder on the cuffs. "Please, give it back!" She screamed as someone put their arms around her. "Don't hurt it! I'll kill you I swear!" _

"Nat, you're okay, you're safe. The baby's safe I swear, please wake up."

Natasha's eyes shot open and she bolted upright, gasping for air. Sweat had plastered her hair onto her forehead and she was shaking as she tried to figure out where she was.

"You're safe now Nat."

It took her a moment to place the voice and when she realized it was Steve she slumped and felt more tears flood her eyes.

"Nat, look at me please." She sucked in a breath and turned her head, meeting Steve's worried blue eyes with her green ones. "You're safe now." He whispered, brushing the hair out of her eyes. "The others?" She managed to get out, her throat flaming with pain at every word. He smiled, "everyone else is fine, just a little worried." She nodded and looked around her, " I'm guessing we're in some sort of hospital?"

Steve's eyes flickered with relief and he managed a small laugh, "You would be right." She glanced at the IV currently attached to her wrist and shuddered slightly, "what happened?"

His face fell slightly and he looked away sighing. "There was a bomb," he said at last, "it was planted under the stage. We don't know who put it there but Tony's working on it." Natasha gestured towards her throat and mouthed how. Steve's face darkened, "there was a gas they released during the attack. It was designed to attack your lungs and shut them down. You were the only one close enough to the bomb to inhale it."

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she laid back onto the pillows, "and the baby?" She asked quietly. He hesitated and dread shot through her, the baby would be alright, it had to be. He caught her panicked look and immediately answered, "the baby's fine. They checked on it and said everything was okay." She exhaled and closed her eyes, the baby would be okay.

Beside her Steve fidgeted and she glanced at him. He looked stressed and anxious as he stared at her.

"What is it Steve? What else happened?"

He paused before answering, "when you passed out in the car we called an ambulance. You were shaking and going into shock, we were trying everything we could to get you to keep breathing." His voice dropped and Natasha could see the lines of pain engraved into his face. "Clint was scared and he was so sure you weren't going to be okay. And then I remembered the baby and I just got so scared. That maybe you weren't going to be okay and then I'd lose you both..." he stopped and looked away trying to hide his face.

Natasha didn't quite know when she started crying but somehow she had, and once she started she couldn't stop. "I'm sorry that you had to go through that." She whispered while she tried not to sob too pathetically. Steve reached out and hugged her to his chest. "Promise me you won't scare me like that again?" He murmured against her hair. Natasha shrugged slightly, "I can take care of myself you know."

"No."

The forceful exclamation made her jump slightly and she looked up at him surprised at his anger. He deflated when he saw her reaction but there was still defiance in his posture.

"Natasha, I _know _you're capable of taking care of yourself but now it's not just you anymore. You need to be careful for the baby. Especially after now." Natasha's eyes narrowed but she nodded anyways. "I promise." He kissed her softly and she felt a sudden ache of longing at the sweet touch. God she'd missed him so much. "I love you." She whispered when he pulled away. "I love you too." She closed her eyes satisfied. Her baby was okay and Steve was back, things were definitely looking up.


	4. Chapter 4: Stay With Me?

**More writing! There'll be more chapters soon, probably within a couple of days. Thanks again to everybody who reads this and thank you to: crity2re, for your reviews! **

The peace lasted exactly three hours.

Clint had gone to go check on his best friend (as one does), and somehow got saddled with food duty. And when he had protested Nat had played the sick card, while Steve argued that he wasn't going to leave his pregnant girlfriend for _five _minutes just to go get food two floors down. Finally after listening to the two of them snipe at him he gave up.

"I'll go get your goddamn salad." He yelled as he stormed out.

"Bring two!" Natasha yelled after him and he slammed the door shut. _Figures, _he thought, _once that kid is born I'll be damned if they don't starve to death because none of them wants to do anything. _He grumpily stomped down the two flights of stairs and into the cafeteria.

The line wasn't too bad and he quickly picked out the two plainest looking salads before scanning the rack of candy and magazines. He'd just thrown a chocolate bar onto the counter when a glossy magazine cover caught his eye and he paused. Looking closer at the cover he felt like his heart might stop. "What the hell?" He murmured.

_Black Widow and Captain America expecting?! _The headline blared and he quickly flipped it open to the featured story inside. The first page was covered with pictures of Nat at the gala. "_Now for our most exciting news story ever! We have exclusive stories from insiders reporting on our favorite superhero couple that have just told us that the two are expecting their first child! The infamous Black Widow has been reportedly seen with a baby bump already, what will this mean for the other Avengers and when will Cap propose-" _

Clint's heart was beating so fast he felt like it would beat right out of his chest. Quickly he paid for the salads and taking the magazine, ran for the stairs.

"We have a problem!" He announced as soon as the door was open.

Natasha who had been dozing immediately scrambled out of the hospital bed and reached for her leather jacket, "what's going on?" She demanded. Steve glared at him, "are you kidding me? Natasha needs to be resting right now." Natasha gave him a look but paused in her preparations to leave. "Is something wrong?" She asked and Clint hesitated.

"If you mean is there evil thugs trying to break into the hospital right now, then the answer is no. But if you mean does the general public know that you're pregnant, then I'd say yes."

Natasha paled, "what?" He sighed and threw the copy of the magazine onto the bed. Steve picked it up and his jaw clenched when he caught sight of the pictures plastered all over the front page. "How did they even find out? Tony wiped all the records showing that she was ever here." He asked as he studied the pictures. Clint rubbed his eyes, "my guess is that he wiped the records but one of the nurses must have blabbed."

Natasha sat at the end of the bed, "I don't want them to know about the baby." She said firmly, "once the public figures it out then some crackpot will know and then they'll have something to use against Steve and I." Her voice wavered slightly and she put her head into her hands. "Is this how this it's going to be? With me constantly trying to hide any evidence of my child so that there won't be anything that anyone could use against me or Steve?" Her voice broke slightly and she felt the tears coming.

Clint crossed to her side and knelt in front of her, "Nat, it won't be like that. You and Steve are two of the most powerful superheroes on Earth, if you want something than it'll most likely happen. So if you want to hide your kid then we'll help and support you. But if you want to live your life as normally as you can then we'll support you on that too." Natasha exhaled shakily but smiled, "thanks Clint, I needed that."

He shrugged, "part of being your best friend, I have to give the occasional pep talk." She raised an eyebrow but kept silent. "I'll figure it out Nat, don't worry." He looked at Steve, "don't worry we'll protect her, and Baby Widow." Before either of them could say anything, he slipped out the door in search of Tony.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

His plan? Leave as soon as possible. How? Ditch Steve and wear disguises. And that's exactly what they did.

Natasha had her signature red hair covered by a scarf and hat and she was wearing a long black wool coat with jeans. Clint had opted for blue sweater, jeans, and baseball cap. After some last minute fussing they left the room and proceeded to head for the doors.

"We look like dorks." Natasha muttered as soon as they were outside. He nudged her arm, "shut up, we look like successful dorks." She rolled her eyes, "uh huh." He let out a small sigh and quickly scanned the parking lot for their vehicle.

"It was a good thing you saw that magazine." Natasha said as she spotted the small crowd clustered hopefully by the doors. "If I walked out normally than I'm pretty sure there would have been some sort of scene." Clint snorted and finally spotted their ride, an ordinary looking red car that was slightly dirty. Natasha followed his gaze, "Stark must've had a heart attack when he saw that." She remarked as Clint unlocked the doors.

"His exact words were, 'this kid better be worth it.'"

She frowned, "nice to know he thinks so highly of my unborn kid." Clint glanced over at her and grinned. "That was cute." She glared at him, "excuse me?" He laughed and they got in. "It's just that, here you are, the famous Black Widow. And yet, you're pregnant. It's interesting to see you all pregnant and talking about the baby." Natasha scowled and defensively put a hand over her minuscule bump. Clint's grin widened and he was still smirking when they pulled out of the parking lot.

When they reached the Avengers facility Natasha blew out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad we're back home." She announced as they parked and got out. Clint had to agree, "Don't get me wrong, spending time with the kids's amazing. But sometimes I miss this," he held out his arms, "catching up and seeing our friends."

"What are you wearing?!"

His hands dropped, "although maybe not all of them." He said under his breath as he turned to face Tony. The genius was leaning against the doors watching them. "You too look, interesting. Maybe Nat less so." Clint scowled and stalked past him into the building, "not all of us walk around in three piece suits Stark." Natasha laughed and Tony looked affronted. "I was in a meeting for Stark Industries if you must know." He said and turned to Natasha who was taking off her coat.

"How's Baby Widow?" The glare she sent him was priceless. "Don't say that nickname." He raised his hands and grinned, "no need to get so prickly. Just asking."

Clint cleared his throat, interrupting the conversation before she could murder him. "Anyways, Steve just texted that he left the hospital. Which brings us to the next question, how will we check on the little one if we know some of the nurses can't be trusted?" Tony's face grew serious and he led them into the living area. "We could bring highly skilled nurses sworn into secrecy into the facility. That way no records would be left behind. At the same time this place is no hospital, Nat, you're gonna need to go to a hospital eventually to give birth."

She groaned, "don't remind me." Shifting so that she was in a more comfortable position on the couch, she looked back at Tony, "couldn't we find a hospital and just lay the entire staff to keep quiet?" He looked thoughtful, "I guess that could work. I'll look into it." She nodded and leaned back closing her eyes. Although she would never admit it, she was exhausted and in desperate need of sleep.

Clint wasn't fooled. He saw right through her and knew she was exhausted. "You should go to bed Nat, being pregnant isn't easy and you need to rest. After all technically you weren't supposed to leave the hospital." Tony nodded too although he had no idea what pregnancy looked like.

"Alright, wake me if something happens." She said wearily as she got up. "Not a chance." They said cheerfully and disgusted she left the room.

Entering her room she didn't even bother to turn on the light. Fumbling around in the dark she put on the first pair of shorts and tank top she could find before falling onto the bed. The sheets were cool and soft against her skin and she was nodding off when the door opened.

"Nat?" Steve asked and she sleepily looked up. "Hmm?"

"Were you trying to sleep? I can come back later." He was already almost out of the door by the time Natasha had figured out what he said.

"Wait! Steve!"

He poked his head back in, "yeah?" She scooted over in the bed, "will you stay here?" She asked in a small voice. He nodded and walked in closing the door softly behind him.

Natasha laid back down and a second later felt the mattress dip as he settled his body into the bed. Rolling over she curled up next to him and closed her eyes.

Steve drew her closer and inhaled her scent, something resembling a mix of pine and lemon. Pressing a kiss to her forehead he smiled softly as he listened to her deep breaths. Wrapping his arm around her he closed his own eyes and drifted off.


	5. Chapter 5: Solutions and Salvation

**First off, antimonyavengers, crity2re, thanks for your reviews! Second, in answer to one of the reviews, there is a medical team at the Avengers facility, but none of the people working there are trained for pregnancies. Sorry if that wasn't super clear. Anyways, back to the story!  
**

When Steve woke the next morning the spot beside him was empty and he could hear the water running in the bathroom. Stretching, he had just gotten out of the bed when the door opened and Natasha walked in wearing shorts and a black sports bra, carrying a towel.

"Took you long enough to wake up." She teased and gave him a brilliant smile. He stared at her his eyes wide.

"I might have used most of the hot water by the way. So if you were planning on taking a shower than you might want to wait." He continued to stare as she opened her dresser drawers and took out a maroon knit sweater. Natasha was about to add something else when she realized he was being unresponsive.

"Steve?"

No response.

"Steve! Snap out of it!"

He blinked and got up, quickly walking over to her and taking her face in his hands.

"Steve what-"

He kissed her. It was tender and sweet and filled with love and hope. At first Natasha froze but then she went with it and kissed him back looping her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss. His hands were in her hair and she couldn't help but think that whatever had gotten into Steve, if this was how he was going to react, she didn't mind.

When they broke apart her head was swimming. "what was that for?" She murmured as he pressed soft kisses to her forehead. He smiled softly, "Have I ever told you that you're the most beautiful person after a shower?" Her eyebrows shot up her forehead, "no, I don't remember you ever saying that, although it sounds like something you would say. And you didn't answer my question." Steve pressed his forehead against hers, "you're showing."

Well, she hadn't been expecting that. She glanced down and saw that there was indeed a bigger swell to her stomach. It was still on the small side but definitely there.

"Huh, would you look at that."

Steve twined his finger through hers, "can I touch your stomach?" She gave him a look. "Steve, of course you can touch my stomach." He nodded, practically vibrating with excitement. His hands were warm and she couldn't suppress a small shiver as he very gently touched her bump.

"Do you think it can hear us?" He asked in wonder and she smiled. "It can hear me, or, the sounds of me. I think there'll still be some time before it can hear you."

"Really? How do you know?"

"I looked it up back when I first found out I was pregnant." She admitted. How long ago it seemed that she had been alone and angry when she had looked that up. Now her anger had evaporated, replaced with joy and nervousness.

Steve straightened up and handed her her sweater. "Come on, lets get breakfast. You must be starving." Slipping the soft material over her head, she followed him down to the kitchen where he proceeded to start making her pancakes.

"So when are you getting an ultrasound?"

Natasha shrugged and picked at her nails. "Honestly, I know I need to do it, but there's always some distraction. Plus Tony still doesn't have a safe way to check on the little one and keep it under wraps." Steve nodded thoughtfully but kept quiet.

He had just served her the first plate of steaming hot pancakes when Clint blindly stumbled in with Tony and Sam close behind. Clint somehow made it to the stool next to Nat, snagging one of her pancakes, and let out a groan. Sam headed straight for the coffee pot and Tony watched anxiously as he started making it.

"What's wrong? You guys look like you haven't slept in a week." Natasha commented as she surreptitiously jabbed Clint with her fork. "What-ow-do you mean?" He asked yawning. She raised an eyebrow at Sam and Tony who were now wrestling over the coffee pot, "those two look like they're in desperate need of caffeine and you don't look much better." He rubbed his eyes, "it's nothing don't worry about it." Her eyes narrowed but she kept quiet.

"Tony we were just talking about you. Have you figured out a way for Nat to get her ultrasound soon?" Steve asked as he turned off the stove. Tony glanced up, "what? I mean, yes I did get that all sorted out, new hospital and this time all the staff is on heavy pay to keep their mouths shut." Steve frowned, "couldn't we just bring in nurses here?" He paused, "I mean we have a medical wing here, Nat wouldn't have to leave and we can trust the medics here to keep quiet."

Tony relinquished his hold on the coffee pot and watched sadly as Sam gleefully filled up his cup. "I don't think it will work, first of all, I already thought of that. But none of our nurses or doctors here are trained for pregnancy's. Plus we have no equipment whatsoever, and while technically I could buy new equipment, we would only use it once. Plus the governments not too happy with us right now and I think if we tried to lug a bunch of new baby equipment here for one pregnancy than they'll probably explode." Steve nodded, "I guess that makes sense, thank you then, for helping us." Tony shrugged, "it's what I would do for my friends."

"Guess that means I have to schedule an appointment now," Natasha muttered under her breath. It was more to herself but Clint responded anyways. "Don't worry about that. I scheduled you one already. It's in thirty minutes." Steve inhaled sharply, "Nat we should head out now then." She nodded and wordlessly gave Clint the rest of her plate before heading back to her room.

They were in the car and heading towards their new hospital, when Natasha started panicking. Fears were crashing through her at a fast rate, what if the baby was somehow affected by that stupid gas bomb? What if she had done something wrong, like eaten the wrong thing? Closing her eyes she pressed her hand underneath her sweater and tried to take comfort in the small swell.

Fingers threaded through hers making her jump and open her eyes. "Hey, you're gonna be okay. The baby will be fine I promise. It's strong, like it's mother." Taking a deep breath she nodded and tried to make her shaking hands stop. It helped that Steve wasn't letting go of one of them.

By the time they'd pulled into the parking lot, she had almost calmed down. It was only when Steve handed her a hat and scarf to conceal her hair; that she started feeling ill again. Twisting the scarf so that it covered most of her hair she trailed after Steve.

The inside of the waiting room was worse. It was painted a butter yellow and there was a faint smell of chemicals that made her stomach turn. As soon as Steve told the receptionist their names however, they were immediately met with a kind looking doctor who led them down a series of hallways. When they got into the room she motioned for Natasha to sit on an uncomfortable looking chair with paper over it.

As soon as she was seated (with Steve hovering around anxiously overhead) the nurse started asking her questions while fiddling with other stuff. _How many weeks so far? Ten. First baby? Yes. Any consumption of alcohol or smoking while pregnant? Definitely not. _Steve was at her side for each and every one and she held his hand tightly as she tried to answer her questions.

After a list of what to expect, what not to eat, and what she should be doing (all of which Steve dutifully copied down in a notebook), it was time for the ultrasound.

Slowly, she pushed her sweater up over her stomach, and shivered as the cool gel was applied. Her heart was in her throat as the doctor studied the computer and she was pretty sure that Steve was squeezing her hand harder than she was. And then... the sound of a heart beat filled the room.

She jumped and beside her, Steve did the same. "Is that the baby?" She asked, her voice almost a whisper. The doctor nodded happily, "Sorry for the sudden noise. I should have warned you. But that's definitely the baby!" Natasha pressed a hand to her mouth as she listened to the steady sound of the heartbeat. That was _hers. She (_and Steve) had created this little _being. _

"Is it okay?" She asked emotionally. The doctor looked at her kindly, "Yup, looks like the heart rate is around 160 beats per minute, which at this stage is totally normal. Do you want to see it?" She nodded, her throat closed with excitement. The doctor flipped the screen around and she and Steve inhaled sharply at the same.

There in all it's glory was their baby. They could see the head and the body and little arms and little legs. It was moving too, as they watched it squirmed around, moving busily. Natasha felt tears slide down her face. Steve gripped her hand tighter, "I'm so proud of you," he murmured kissing the top of her head. She nodded, trying to stifle her tears that were quickly turning into sobs.

The doctor stepped away to give them some privacy and she gave Steve a very, _very, _wet kiss. "Are you okay?" He asked concernedly and she nodded. "I'm more than fine right now. Because the baby's fine." She placed her hand on the little bump, a habit she was doing more and more.

"You're fine and that's all that matters."


	6. Chapter 6: During The Night

**Hey everyone! Sorry that this chapter took a little longer than usual to write. Also, this chapter is a little darker than usual in that there is some mentions of blood so if that bothers you PLEASE DO NOT READ! Thats all, hope you enjoy :D**

Steve was dreaming.

_Everything was dark. He couldn't see anything except for a few feet in front of him and even then it was difficult to make out. _

_At first he thought it was a good dream, the dark wasn't too menacing and it felt relatively peaceful. But then the cold started. Steady and sharp, it worked its way into his limbs and he shivered, trying to fight off the panic creeping up on him. Teeth chattering, he started walking in an effort to wake up his numb fingers. _

_Steadily it got colder and colder, his breath getting faster and faster. Panic was coursing through his veins and all he could hear was the roar of the plane as it drew nearer to the water. Clamping his eyes shut he tried to think of something, anything. _

"_Steve!"_

_The scream shattered the silence and his eyes shot open. That couldn't be her could it? He paused and strained his ears trying to hear anything besides the deafening quiet. _

"_Steve! Where are you!" _

_He started running. Somewhere, in this inky black world, Natasha was in trouble. He didn't know where he was going, he just knew that something bad was happening. His foot caught on something and he nearly landed flat on his face. Spinning around he saw that he was now standing on a rocky surface. A puddle of water nearby him caught his eye and he frowned. Where the water should have been crystalline, it was dark and thick. _

_Cupping his hands together he scooped up a handful and raised it to his nose. The smell made him rear back and cough. It was blood. Strong, metallic smelling, blood. His heart was racing and he shot to his feet as he noticed more splashes of blood sitting the ground in front of him. _

"_Nat!"_

_His yell was met with silence and he was about to yell again when the screaming started again. This time it was different. Louder and filled with terror and anguish. He looked helplessly around and took off in a different direction. He __had __to find Natasha._

_When he did he nearly passed her. She was hunched over on her hands and knees screaming her head off. The smell of blood was overpowering and it was splashed everywhere. _

"_Natasha!" He dropped to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder. She didn't move, and she didn't stop her awful wailing. _

"_Natasha! What's wrong! Answer me, please."_

_She finally looked up and he was shocked to see that tears were streaming down her face and her eyes were empty of everything but grief. The usual vibrant green had been reduced to a dull shell. She looked down again and when Steve followed her gaze his heart stopped. _

_Beneath her was a small bundle wrapped in a soft cloth blanket... and it was soaked with blood._

_As he watched Natasha let out a low wail and dropped her head. Shakily, he reached for the bundle, already feeling the dread swirling up inside of him._

"_No!" Natasha snarled angrily and launched herself at him. He grabbed her wrists and held her down as she tried to attack him. "Nat, please, just let me see.." she sobbed and wrenched herself to the side trying to break free. "Please," she cried, "just let me see my baby." He pressed her close and tried to calm her, "Natasha, it's too late." _

_She shook her head vehemently, "no, no you're wrong. She's just sleeping." Steve shook his head feeling the tears well up, "I'm so sorry." He whispered. She looked up at him, broken, "she's not sleeping is she?" She sniffle and Steve opened his mouth, "Natasha I-"_

He woke up.

His hands were gripping the sheets so hard they were starting to split under the pressure. He was also way too cold. Releasing the sheets he realized he had been sleeping right under the open window. Quickly he reached up and shut it, stopping the cold air flow from coming in. Trying to regain his breath he was about to lay back down when something knocked against his back.

Natasha.

He twisted around and immediately exhaled in relief when he saw her stretched out next to him. His dream still fresh on his mind he pulled back the blanket covering her. Ignoring her muttering as she rolled over and curled into herself, he carefully leaned over and checked her for any sign of possible injury. She looked fine.

He even smiled when he saw that one of her hands was resting on her bump which was larger now that she had hit sixteen weeks. It wasn't a lot bigger but the doctor had said it was normal and everything was going alright.

Another mutter made him look at her face. He frowned, she was trembling he realized. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and shook her lightly, "Nat, wake up." She tensed and sweat was beading on her forehead. "Natasha." He said a little louder. Her breathing was uneven and she shook her head. "Natasha!"

She woke with a start and immediately shot upright gasping. "Hey, you're back now. You're okay." He rubbed her back as she shuddered and tried to wake up fully. "Steve." She finally managed to get out. He nodded and opened his arms, to which she gratefully fell into. "Did you have a nightmare?" He asked quietly. She nodded, "someone was calling for me and I couldn't reach them."

Steve grimaced, "that might've been me," at her questioning look he continued, "I had a nightmare about you and the little one." She looked down at her belly, "I have a lot of those. I'm always stuck in the same place and I don't- I can never- " she was stumbling over her words and Steve nodded, "it's okay, you don't have to tell me."

She rested a hand on the bump and leaned into Steve's embrace, "I just want the little one to be okay." She murmured sleepily. He nodded and put his hand half on top of hers. "Me too." They shared a smile and he was about to suggest they go back to sleep when they felt it.

It was small, almost unrecognizable, but a very small butterfly tap against where their hands were resting. Natasha froze and her eyes widened as she went pale. Steve went still as well and he met her shocked gaze. "Was that...?" He went silent as they felt another tap against their hands. Natasha gently rubbed her stomach, "hey there little one," she whispered softly, "you trying to get our attention?" Another soft tap against her hand made her smile and she looked at Steve who was trying his best not to cry.

"That's the baby?" He asked and she nodded feeling her own eyes well up. "It is. We probably woke him up." He raised an eyebrow, "he?" She blushed, "I think it's a boy, what about you?" Steve remembered his dream, "I think it's a little girl. In my dream you said it was a 'she'" Natasha snorted, "what about mother's instincts?" He was about to reply when a soft tap against his hand made him look back down at her belly.

"I do think you're a girl." He said speaking to the small being on the other side, "_despite _your mamas 'instincts'" "hey!" She hit his shoulder and he grinned wickedly as they laid back down facing each other. "I'm so proud of you." He whispered as he kissed her on the nose. She smiled and he watched as her eyes shined, "I can't wait for baby to come and meet the world." Grinning he tucked her protectively into his arms, her back to his chest, and rested his cheek against her soft hair.

They fell asleep with their hands resting on the bump. And inside Natasha's belly, the baby fell back asleep to, lulled by the steady heartbeat of its mother and the gentle pressure pressing against it from the hands of its parents. All was well in it's small world, just as it should be


	7. Chapter 7: The Plan

**Hey everyone! I'm so sorry it took me so long to write this very short chapter. There'll be more soon I promise you that. :) Thank you to Romanogers4ever22 for your review! I already know the babies gender although the name is something I'm not totally sure about. if anyone has name suggestions feel free to share them. Okay, enough with my rambling, back to the chapter.**

In the morning when Steve woke, he didn't even get the chance to move his head before a butterfly tap thunked against his hand. Grinning he noticed Natasha open her eyes and yawn, "good morning Nat." He whispered as he kissed her ear. She laughed and his heart swelled at the sight of his beautiful girlfriend, and soon to be something else, if everything today went according to plan.

He had a ring currently stashed in his uniform pocket and he was planning for today to be the big day.

Natasha stirred sleepily and rubbed her stomach, "the little one likes the mornings." She murmured and he chuckled, "go back to sleep, I'm just going to go get something for you to eat." She nodded and closed her eyes again.

Quietly he left the room and headed for the kitchen. Upon arrival he blazed right by Tony and Clint and beelined for the pantry. "Woah, Stevie, what's going on?" Tony looked up from his coffee cup and Clint did as well.

"Everything alright?" Steve nodded as he quickly prepared a mix for French Toast, "I'm proposing to Nat today," he said as he dipped the first slice into the mixture, "but I need to make her breakfast first." He had just dropped the first slice onto the sizzling pan when he realized there hadn't been any response. Wiping his hands on his jeans he looked up. Tony and Clint were staring back at him stunned, their jaws practically dragging on the ground.

"Did I just hear you right?" Tony asked after the initial shock had worn off. Steve nodded tensely, "I have the ring and everything ready. I hope she likes it." Clint shook himself, "Judging from the way she used to talk to me after every one of your dates a couple years ago, I think she'll like the ring." Steve smiled happily, "you really think so?" The other man nodded and he felt a little bit less stressed.

Turning back to the french toast he quickly made a big stack and piled them onto a plate before drizzling them in syrup, powdered sugar, and whipped cream. He even added a few sliced strawberries and blueberries as well. It was, after all, a special occasion.

"Dude, you should make the team breakfast more often." Tony commentated as he eyed the whipped cream. Steve snorted, "Sorry guys, but this is strictly for Nat, she's the pregnant one after all." There were disgruntled sighs from the counter but Steve ignored them and, juggling the plate full of food, as well as a glass of water, he headed back up the stairs.

When he entered the bedroom he found it exactly as he had left it. Natasha was curled up on the bed sleeping softly her hand under her cheek. She looked so sweet that he almost didn't want to wake her.

Walking over to the closet that held his suit, he found the pocket and withdrew the ring, he pocketed it and then cleared his throat.

"Natasha, wake up I have food."

She stirred and blinked open sleepy eyes to give him a blinding smile that made his knees feel weak. Handing her the plate and the water glass he perched nervously on the end of the bed and watched as she lit up.

"Steve this is the sweetest thing ever!"

Picking up a fork she dug in happily. Steve grinned and joined her side, occasionally stealing a blueberry or two, but otherwise content just to watch her enjoy her meal. When she finally set the plate to the side she felt full and satisfied, "Mmm that was really good Steve, thank you." She closed her eyes and rubbed her stomach. The perfect picture of relaxed.

Steve, who felt anything but relaxed, simply nodded and then leaned over and nudged the edge of her pajama shirt up. He kissed her belly gently before stretching up and kissing her on the lips. Laughing softly she deepened the kiss and tugged on his shirt. He rolled over so that he was above her and ran his hands through her hair, kissing her neck before making his way back to her lips and paused above them.

Her green eyes pierced into his blue ones as he continued to hesitate. "What is it?" She whispered and he swallowed before hoping and praying that she would say yes.

"Will you marry me?"


	8. Chapter 8: Everything Ruined

**I'm so sorry about the formatting! I didn't even realize it was screwed up, until you guys mentioned it in the reviews. Hopefully, this time it works. **

Clint hadn't told Laura about Natasha's pregnancy.

He had wanted to let his friends share the news as they wanted so he'd kept silent. And now he hadn't told them that they were getting married. He was so going to get murdered.

Fiddling nervously with his cuff links he watched as the Quinjet landed. "Daddy!" Lyla and Cooper raced over to him jumping on him despite their fancy wear. Laughing he scooped up Lyla and kissed her on the head before doing the same to Cooper.

"Ugh, you two are getting so heavy." He said and pretended that he was going to fall over. Lyla giggled and shook her head, "we're not that heavy!" She said and he ruffled her hair, "of course not honey."

"Kids!"

They both jumped and looked guilty as their mother approached, "you better not get those outfits dirty. If you do I don't care what special occasion it is you're going straight home!" Clint laughed and wrapped Laura and their year old son Nathaniel in a big hug. "I'm glad you could come." He said and she kissed him, "of course. But what exactly is the special occasion?" He smiled mysteriously, "you'll find out soon enough." Leading them back to the tower, he proudly showed off his kids to the team, who cooed and fussed over them so much, that by the time they got away, Lyla and Cooper were ready to mutiny and move into the Avengers facility.

"Laura!" They turned and saw Pepper dressed in a beautiful light blue bridesmaid dress, "over here. And the kids as well." Confused Laura went over before turning to her husband, "what's going on?" He didn't say anything and met Pepper's gaze, "Pepper'll tell you, I gotta run. But I'll be back soon."

Turning he left Laura and knew that not even the bride would be able to stop his wife once she found out. He was toast.

Back at the room Laura was about to grill Pepper for information when the door opened and Natasha stepped out. "Laura! You came!" She exclaimed excitedly and would have given her a hug had she not been wearing a wedding dress. Laura's jaw dropped and she watched as Lyla raced over and Natasha scooped her up as usual, "hey there Lyla! How are you?" Lyla laughed and proceeded to delve into every single detail during the last two weeks.

Cooper gave her a hug and when Natasha finally put Lyla down she picked up Nathaniel next. "He's so big!" She said and Laura finally shut her mouth, "yeah, he's one now." "He gets all the attention!" Lyla said and she looked at her daughter mortified, "Lyla!"

Natasha laughed and cleared her throat, "well," she started, "he's not going to be the littlest one soon." Laura went still, "Are you..?" She started and her jaw hit the ground for the second time that day as Natasha moved Nathaniel over and exposed her little bump.

"Oh my god! Since when?! Has Clint known?" Questions were spilling from her so fast that the ex-assassin could barely keep up. "Hold on, I'm eighteen weeks and yes Clint has definitely known." She crouched down, a remarkable feat considering how tight the dress felt, and looked at Lyla ad Cooper, "D'you want to feel the kick?" They both nodded and looked excited. Natasha grinned and taking their hands placed it on the side of her bump hoping that the baby was awake.

There were a couple seconds where she was almost about to suggest they try again later, when the baby finally decided dot cut the suspense. Their was a sturdy tap against the kids hands and they both drew back, momentarily surprised, before touching her stomach again and feeling the small kicks.

As soon as the bride to be stood back up, Laura embraced her, "I'm so happy for you, both with the wedding and the baby. Steve must be so proud." Her friend blushed and nodded, "he's been so sweet so far, although in the beginning I wasn't even sure that I wanted him around." That was something that Laura understood. It had been, after all, a difficult time period when they had all heard of the fight in Germany and the imprisonment fo all who had defied the government.

Not wanting to ruin her closest friends big day she took her hand and admired her dress, "You look lovely." The corners ofNatasha's mouth turned up and she felt delighted, "thank you so much, ideally I would want to wear not a dress, but Pepper convinced me to wear this and now I'm glad I did."

They talked a little bit more before it was time for the ceremony to start and Laura had to turn her attention to the kids and last minute lectures on how they should act. Lyla was to be the flower girl while Cooper would help his little brother in his duties as a ring bearer.

Outside the men were all talking to Steve who was growing more and more nervous by the second. The ceremony would be performed in the field behind the Avengers facility. Everything had been spruced to perfection, the lawn had been mowed to perfection and it was out of sight from the permanent scar that Thor had made when he left Earth after the whole Ultron incident.

A carpet ran from the back doors right up to the arch that he and Natasha would be standing under.

The chairs were all uniformed in their placement and bunches of flowers perfumed the air in just the right combination. Inside a large meeting room had been converted into a dining room and Steve took a couple of breaths as he remembered that in an hour he would be married to the most beautiful woman on Earth.

Suddenly the guests already seated rose to their feet and most of the men, save Sam and Clint who were his best men, took their seats as well. Steve who was doing his best not to fidget with the edge of his jacket, smiled as he saw Lyla proudly sauntering up the wedding aisle, all the while sprinkling flowers over the carpet. Her face was scrunched up in determination and when she reached the end of the carpet she looked proud of her handy work.

Next came the ring bearers and once again, the nerves were dispelled from his stomach when Steve noticed how Cooper held his little brothers hand tightly as the littler boy clutched the pillow tightly. When they reached the end of the aisle they too joined Lyla and watched excitedly as the bridesmaids arrived. Laura, Pepper, and Wanda, each dressed in identical outfits of light blue gowns, striding gracefully up the aisle. Laura reached the end of the aisle and quickly drew the kid to her, knowing they were still highly stung and liable to break away from her in order to great their 'aunt' and new unborn cousin as they came down the aisle.

Steve inhaled sharply as he caught sight of Natasha and his heart nearly stopped. She was dressed in a simple white dress that accented her pregnant belly while also hugging her figure. Her long red hair was up in a bun with sprigs of lavender and moss holding it in place. The dress flowed out at the waist so that she had better range of over net while also hiding the pair of heels she was wearing.

He moved gracefully down the aisle and when at last she reached him she gave him a blinding smile. All his worries evaporated and as they listened to the SHIELD agent who had volunteered to do the service, he couldn't help but get lost in her sparkling green eyes.

When it was time for the vows he took a deep breath before starting to speak. "Natasha Romanoff," he started, "when I first met you was when I first fell in love I think. I remember you were incredibly hot, and also so strong and not willing to let anything trivial come in the way of your work, something I admired. I loved working with you and although not all the circumstances were perfect I remember thinking that, at the end of the day, seeing your smile and you eyes was worth all the hardships we had gone through. With you, you make me think that anything is possible."

Natasha's eyes were welling up and she sniffled quietly, "Damn it Steve, the makeup." She started making the others laugh. Then she got serious, "Steve Rogers, when I first met you, I remember thinking, 'wow, that is one good looking guy'. And it was only after you trusted me in saying that Clint was freed from his mind control did I realize that I wanted you as more than just a friend. But I kept my feelings to myself and thought that if I didn't acknowledge them then they would go away. I was after all, a formal assassin, why would anyone want me? It was only during our work to defeat Ultron and when I was with Bruce, did I know that, I had always loved you and that being with someone other than you wasn't going to work." She took a deep breath, "and now, we're going to have a baby together." Her voice wobbled slightly and a tear slipped down her cheek. "So Steve, I love you so so so much and I can't wait to see you as a dad and to live the rest of my life with you."

The applause was thunderous and Clint found himself teary as he thought of his best friend finally starting her life. A life she deserved more than anyone else.

After a couple more minutes the words they'd all wanted to hear were said, "you may kiss the bride." Steve didn't need any further encouragement. Stepping forwards he swept his new wife into his arms and kissed her soundly. She responded by wrapping her arms around his neck and the rest of the crowd went wild.

Steve grinned and, breaking the kiss, bent down and picked her up. She gasped as her feet left the ground but grinned as he carried her inside.

The net event was the dinner. Steve and Natasha were seated at the head table and Steve couldn't stop grinning as he watched Natasha talk with others and mostly the kids. She even took Nathaniel in order to allow Laura to actually talk and spend some time with her husband. While they were waiting for the food, the little toddler got fussy and Steve was about to get Clint when Natasha stopped him. "They deserve some time to catch up." She said. He watched uncertainly as she stood up and swayed back and forth while patting Nathaniel on the back.

"You're good at that." He said when she retook her seat holding a now sleeping toddler. She shrugged, "I had practice with Lyla and Cooper." She whispered and he rubbed her back, "it'll come in handy for our own baby."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

When it was time for the dance Natasha was starting to feel a little nervous. As Steve led her out onto the floor she gave him a worried look, "Steve," he nodded, "What's wrong?" She shook her head, "I don't particularly want to dance." He gave her an apologetic look, "just one circuit? Then you can take a break. Is it the baby?" She shook her head and hesitated, "sort've, it's more of the idea of dancing while pregnant and in heels." He scoffed, "you're beautiful Nat, don't let anybody else tell you otherwise."

The music started and she was surprised to learn that, despite having a pregnant belly, she was still a somewhat graceful dancer. Steve spun her with ease and in his arms she was certain that anything was possible.

After dancing with Clint, Tony, and Sam, she was about ready to take a break. Of course that's when the kids wanted to dance with her and so she pushed aside her discomfort and danced with them.

At last, she got a break when Clint needed somebody to entertain Nathaniel, who was getting fussy again. Taking him into the corner she talked with Pepper as they tried to calm the small boy down.

"Steve! Is this living up to your expectations?" Clint's voice made Steve turn and he grinned, "yes, everything is going perfectly, where's Nat?" Clint pointed to where she was fa ring and grimaced, "I feel like we're getting in the way of your perfect night. Maybe I should ask someone else to look after Nate." Steve shook his head, "You're not getting in the way, trust me, Tash loves being with him.

They exchanged smiles and were about to go over when a commotion near the doors caught their attention. Drawing closer, they made out a frantic looking man who was arguing with the guards at the door.

"I need to see Steve Rogers!" He said loudly and Steve's interest was piqued. "That would be me." He said and the man wilted in relief, "Thank god! Listen, you have to get everyone out of here!" The outburst surprised him but he nodded, "why? And what's your name?" The man inhaled deeply, "My name is Matt, there's bombs everywhere and they're all rigged to blow. I'm telling you, you need to evacuate." Steve stiffened, "when-?"

There was a large bang behind them and the happy chatter dissolved into screams. "Shit!" Matt yelled and lunged past Steve into the fray. He was about to follow Matt when he slammed to a stop. _Natasha. _ He spun around and searched the crowd for her hair.

Natasha in question was directing people out the door when the second blast knocked her to her feet. "Mommy!" The scream made her blood chill and she frantically scanned the crowd for Lyla. When she caught sight of her it didn't help calm her down.

Lyla was surrounded by men in black outfits holding guns. And she was sobbing. Enraged Natasha attacked the guards and managed to incapacitate them enough to push Lyla to safety, "Lyla, go find your mother! Get out of here!" Watching with relief as Lyla ran out the door, she braced herself over a chair and threw up. She may be still able to fight eighteen weeks pregnant but it wasn't easy.

"Natasha!" Her head jerked up and she saw Steve running towards her looking frantic. Relief fluttered in her chest and she took a step towards him. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a black blue and started to spin to late. A hard blow crashed into her temple and she collapsed. Unconscious.

**Ok! Again, sorry about the weird format thingy. Quick side note, Pepper is back and I'll explain why next chapter. **


	9. Chapter 9: Finding Out

**Some new people are showing up! crity2re and AntimonyAvenger, thank you again for telling me about the format, and crity2re thanks for the name suggestion. **

Slowly everything came into focus.

Moving stiffly he turned his head and moved each of his limbs. When he looked around he couldn't see anyone and there appeared to be nothing wrong. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. Shaking his head to clear it he scrambled out of his little chamber and moved the windows in front of him.

He was in Wakanda he remembered, and looked around for someone he recognized, but there was no one. His first instinct was to find the king -T'challa- but something stopped him. Steve and Natasha were in trouble. He wasn't sure how he knew but he did and he had to get back to wherever they were as fast as he could. Because something terrible was coming.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"Natasha!"

She was waking up, and everything hurt. Inhaling deeply she blinked open her eyes and squinted upwards. It was dark but she could make out Steve staring down anxiously at her, worry and fear etched onto his face.

"Hi," she said weakly, "what happened?"

He let out a sigh of relief and sat back slightly, "we were bombed again. Tony's trying to figure out how and when we find them we're going after them." Natasha sat up quickly, "that sounds like a great plan, when are we going?"

He reached out a hand alarmed, "woah, take it slow." Even as he said the words she threw up and groaned. "Are you okay?" She nodded, "just a little queasy." "Think you can stand up?" She paled slightly but nodded and with his help climbed to her feet.

They were outside the ruined dining room. Everything was a mess, dust and debris littering the ground and air making it disorienting for the crowds outside.

When Steve started leading her towards the building she shook her head, "where are the others?" She asked. "They're okay, all of them are inside except for Rhodey and Sam, they're out here trying to round everyone up and safe." Satisfied she followed him inside wincing slightly at the bruises she could feel on herself.

They went to the room they shared, as neither had any intention of moving back to their old ones, and Steve suggested a shower. "Were you planning on coming with me?" She asked mischievously and he blushed. He was in the middle of stammering out a response when she grabbed his hand and tugged him into the bathroom. "It'll be faster." She said as she undid her hair.

Faster it might be, but his cheeks were about to explode by the time the water was on. Natasha was also not helping at all.

"I don't get it, you'll have sex with me and get me pregnant, but taking a shower is suddenly out of the question?"

He forgot to be embarrassed though when he saw her flinching away from the water as it hit her bruises and scrapes. Reaching for a washcloth he gently went over them as best he could. Holding still she closed her eyes until a thought made her open them.

"We need to check on him."

Steve paused, confused, "who?" She turned around and stared up at him worriedly, "the baby. He might have gotten hurt in the fall." Her mind was racing as she felt fear pulse through her. Steve, recognizing her fear put down the washcloth, "I'm sure she's fine. She's tough like her mother." A small smile played over her lips, "you're really convinced that it's a girl huh?" He nodded and shook the water out of his eyes, "Don't worry Nat, everything will be good in the end." He said hugging her.

She sighed, "I hope." She muttered leaning into him. Less than a minute has passed before she felt a strong thump. Steve suppressed a smile, "see? There's your proof." There was continued kicking and she gently stroked her belly trying to calm down the active little one.

"We should check just to be sure." Steve said after a minute as he reached over to turn the water off. Giving him a look of relief she nodded gratefully, "that's what I was thinking." He wrapped a towel around her and kissed her forehead. "I'll schedule one then."

When they emerged from their room they met the others in the living room area. Laura and the kids had already left to head back home and Clint had gone with them to spend some time with his family. Natasha was disappointed on learning this but she understood as well. Poor Lyla had had a rough time and the other kids probably weren't faring much better.

"You should sit down," Pepper said standing up and offering up her seat. Part of her wanted so badly to refuse and show she could stand, another part of her was telling her to sit down. She needed to relax for the baby's sake. Sinking into the soft chair she looked over at Wanda who was staring at her.

"Are you okay?" She asked softly and Wanda nodded quickly, "I'm just listening." She said waving her hand in Natasha's general direction. Puzzled she glanced at Steve before looking back at her, "listening to who?"

Pepper gasped as she understood, "she's listening to your baby. It's the telekinesis, that's amazing." Steve raised an eyebrow, "you know about the telekinesis?" Pepper nodded eagerly, "when I first came back she was able to tell who I was immediately." "Are you and Tony back together then?" Steve asked curiously and Pepper blushed, "um, yes."

"Sorry to interrupt but did you just say she can listen to the baby?" Natasha asked her eyes still trained on Wanda. The other woman nodded and smiled slightly, "it's anxious right now. It can sense your worry and wants to comfort you." "Is it okay?" She breathed and Wanda nodded immediately, "perfectly fine. In fact," she paused and tilted her head, "it's listening to your heartbeat now. It finds it soothing."

Natasha nodded and buried her face in her hands as she tried not to cry. "Consider myself comforted little one." She mumbled gently. Steve grinned happily, "told you everything was fine."

The moment was cut short by a frantic Tony crashing through the doors. "Guys!" He announced, "I found them! I found who did this!" Steve looked up sharply, "who?!" Tony hesitated, glancing at Natasha.

"From what my resources tell me," he said slowly before taking a deep breath.

"It was the Red Room."


	10. Chapter 10: Got You

**Another short-ish chapter although the next chapter is gonna be pretty long. crity2re thank you again! I love all your name suggestions :)**

"How can you listen to them?!"

"Nat, please calm down. You need to rest."

"How can I?! When apparently the Red Room is back, how could I possibly rest?"

Steve stared at her for a second before pinching the bridge of his nose, "Nat, please, just calm down and we can talk."

Natasha was practically breathing fire as she paced back and forth anxiously. "We need to talk right now!" She snapped as she walked, "This isn't possible, the Red Room was destroyed a long time ago." She felt lightheaded but she shrugged it away and walked faster. "How? Have they been watching us this whole time?" Steve felt helpless, "I don't know. Tony only said that the explosives used had a trace back to parties that work directly under the Red Room. That's all I know I swear."

The answer infuriated her, "they cannot be alive again!" Whipping around she nearly smashed into a table and shoved it aside, "it has to be a trick of some sort." Pursing her lips she thought hard before resuming her pacing.

"Natasha." Steve was getting more and more worried. The more that she was on her feet with no rest meant the more risk she could do to herself and the baby. Sure enough as he watched she stumbled and faltered. In an instant he was at her side and helping her right herself. "Natasha," he said again, gentler, "please just sit down." She shook her head frantically, "no! They could come for you, or me." Swallowing she shook her head, and took a step forwards. Only for her legs to give way beneath her.

Steve caught her and carefully picked her up, "that's it." He said firmly, "you are going to work yourself up too much and hurt yourself. It's not going to help you or the baby." Her face crumpled and tears rolled down her face.

"Hey, it's going to be okay, you just need to slow it down a bit." Steve set her down on a chair and squished in beside her covering her with a blanket. "I can't," she started, "if they come for me and I'm not ready then..." she trailed off and he shook his head, "I'll always be here for you. I'm going to protect you and our baby, no matter what." She nodded and mopped at her eyes, "can I go with you to Tony's briefing?"

He shook his head firmly, "no. You were just in a bombing, you need to rest." She smiled, "y'know this is not quite how I pictured our wedding night to go." He laughed, "neither did I, now rest please."

He gave her a quick kiss before heading for Tony's office. Natasha waited for him to leave before throwing off the blanket. She was halfway out of her chair when she felt a hard kick.

"Yup," she grunted, "you are definitely Steve's child." Standing up she stretched before moving to the couch. As she settled onto it she felt another kick, "I'm resting," she muttered, "this isn't fair by the way, you and Steve can't both be against me. Technically you're not even fully formed." She tucked the blanket up high around her shoulders and closed her eyes. She would just rest her eye for a minute or two...

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

When Steve entered the room he realized he was the last one there. Tony was doing something with Friday while Sam and Wanda talked quietly. Crossing to where Tony was he tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey, do you know for sure that this is the Red Room?"

Tony nodded and stepped away from his diagram. "In the first explosion they used a gas that can be easily traced back to sellers on the black market. And assuming that they haven't changed their trade in the last decade then they're still under the Red Room." Steve frowned, "but that isn't very clear. Maybe they did change their sellers." Tony cast him an annoyed look, "I wasn't done Capsicle." He was about to go on when he paused, "where's Nat?"

Steve sighed, "resting. This whole Red Room situation is really hard on her, I'm worried." Tony nodded, "well, once we find the people who did this then she can feel better. How is Baby Widow by the way?" Steve rolled his eyes at the nickname, "baby's fine, apparently Wanda can feel it. Something to do with her telekinesis." He glanced at Wanda who was currently looking through some files.

Tony nodded before going back into explanation mode, "anyways, besides the poison there was also this," he handed him a what appeared to be a casing of some sort, "This was found in the wreckage from this bombing, if you flip it over..." Steve did as he was told and very faintly, beneath the dirt and scratches he could see a faint hourglass scratched into the surface. "You think that they intended for Nat to be the target?" Tony nodded grimly, "Which is why we need to find them quickly.

"For Natasha and the baby's sake."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

When Steve reentered the living room he found Natasha curled up on her side snoring softly. He shook his head and gently scooped her up, blanket and all. She stirred slightly as he placed her on the bed but other than that she remained sound asleep. It spoke volumes in terms of her need to rest at this stage.

He slid beneath the covers and closed his eyes as he felt exhaustion weigh down on his eyelids. He was almost asleep when he felt something nestle into his side. Smiling he wrapped his arms around Natasha before drifting off.

Back in his lab Tony was running every possible test on the scraps of debris he had. It was past two in the morning before he got something. Triumphantly he studied the number on the side of a metal casing,

"Now we've got you."


	11. Chapter 11: At Last

**Sorry this took a little longer, my break ended and now I have a really busy schedule. Thanks to everyone who liked and followed this story and I hope you enjoy this!**

When Tony finally stumbled into the kitchen at five in the morning he found Natasha and Clint huddled around their respective mugs.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" He asked as he fumbled for the coffee pot.

Natasha, "couldn't sleep." She muttered.

He nodded and left it at that. Steve could blow up later but right now it was too early.

They had just finished their second cups of coffee, or, in Natasha's case, tea, when a thud above their heads made them look up. Clint sighed in resignation and stood up, "Well, it was fun while it lasted."

He made his escape from the room just in time. Steve came crashing into the room holding his shield and looking frantic.

When he saw the two of them sitting there his expression changed from anxious to annoyed.

"Natasha, what are you doing out of bed at five in the morning?! You're pregnant!"

"Oh really? I hadn't noticed." She remarked dryly raising her eyebrows at Tony. He shrugged in response and refilled her cup.

Steve let out a breath and tried to calm down, "please, just come back to bed Nat." She shook her head, "I don't want to."

Tony, sensing a fight brewing quickly left under the pretense that he would go get some sleep. Neither Nat nor Steve noticed him go they were to busy staring the other angrily down.

It was Steve who broke the silence first, "why don't you want to rest?"

Natasha sighed and tossed her mug onto the counter, "I feel sick. I can't sleep because I feel like I'm going to throw up."

Just like that Steve deflated. "I'm sorry Tash," He said softly and went to her side, "I didn't realize you weren't feeling good." She shrugged and rubbed her temples, "I'm worried as well." She whispered. Taking a seat beside her he took her hand and waited.

Finally she spoke, "I'm worried that when Tony finds the Red Room and you go after them they'll hurt you. Take you away from me somehow. But at the same time I want you to go after them. If they aren't around then there's no immediate threat to the little one." Resting a hand on her bump she gave him a concerned look, "I don't want to him to be in danger."

Steve smiled, "first off, it's a her, second off, I would never let myself be hurt when you're here waiting for me." Standing up he helped her to her feet, "and if I were then I would fight my way back to you." Kissing her forehead they headed back up to their room.

They were nearly there when Tony came barreling down the hallway. "I figured it out!" He announced. "What did you figure out?" Natasha asked curiously. He paused when he noticed she was there but continued.

"The Red Room people, I found where the bomb was made. And judging from their recent history of buyers I think I found their location." He handed Steve a small tablet and when he looked at it he frowned. "Are you telling me that they're located in Siberia?" Tony nodded and Natasha bit her lip, "it makes sense, that's where the Red Room was. I assume that whatever they did they wouldn't have left there original position."

Steve was quiet for a bit. "When will we leave?" He finally asked.

Tony hesitated, "I don't exactly know when but we should go sooner rather than later. I need to update the security so that Nat will be better protected when we leave her, but other than that we should be ready to go within a month."

"Hang on," Natasha interjected, "how long do you think this will take you?"

His face fell, "um I'd say probably a month or more. We'd have to go there, set up, plan, attack, get rid of any stragglers, and then come back." Looking between them he realized what that meant. "I'll leave you now."

After he was gone Steve turned to Natasha, "I won't go if you don't want me to." He said. She shook her head firmly.

"No. You need to go, Tony and Clint can't complete this without you."

"They'd have Wanda and Sam."

"Steve, no. You need to go. You are an Avenger this is your duty, not watching over me."

"I- okay. I'll go."

"Good."

Stretching up she kissed him, "thank you." He nodded and they returned to their room in silence. They got back into bed and closed their eyes, not in the mood to do anything.

Long after Steve had fallen asleep Natasha was still awake. Lying on her side she felt a soft kick against her side and she carefully cupped her stomach. "Everything's going to be okay, little one. Your dad just has to go somewhere." She could feel the baby shifting but other than that there was no reaction. Sighing she closed her eyes, Steve would come back. He had too, she didn't know what she would do if he didn't.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Bucky nearly attacked one of the Dora Milaje.

Not a good move when he was five feet away from the king of Wakanda.

He hadn't meant to but they'd burst into the room while he was still trying to figure out what was happening and he'd been surprised.

After he had apologized multiple times and been checked for any weapons (there were none) T'Challa agreed to talk to him. They were escorted to a room with wide glass windows and filled with couches. The guards left them although from the glares he was receiving from a couple of them he was pretty sure that they would watch him closely.

"So, you have woken up on your own without any help from our technology?" T'Challa asked curiously and he nodded.

"May I ask why?"

He hesitated, "It was a feeling, like something was happening. To Steve and Natasha, I just know it. But I can't remember why I know this feeling." He growled quietly and tried to retrieve the memory he knew was there. It remained frustratingly out of reach and he clenched his hand.

The king watched him closely, "you woke because you believe your friends to be in danger?"

He nodded, "something like that. I need to get to them. If I don't then something bad might happen and if they get hurt than I could never live with myself."

T'Challa nodded and thought quickly before making up his mind, "I am going to help you get back to your friends. It's the least I can do for the man I tried to wrongly kill." Bucky raised an eyebrow, "I wouldn't blame you if you still tried to kill me. I deserve it... a lot."

The other man gave him a close look, "I don't believe that the man who murdered so many people and the man who sits in front of me now are the same." Bucky shifted uncomfortably, "Thanks, now how can I get back to my friends?"

The king just raised an eyebrow, "patience Barnes, you still need an arm after all." He gave a rather pointed look to the stump of a metal arm that was Bucky's left arm.

"What, do you just have a metal arm lying around waiting for me?" He asked rather confused. There was an amused snort.

"Not me, to get your arm fixed you'll need to visit my sister."

"Whose that?"

"The princess Shuri, she deals with all our technological advances. Oh, and she is also sixteen."

Approximately one hour later Bucky was exiting the lab that T'Challa's little sister worked in with a new arm and a slightly bruised ego. It had been interesting to interact with the young genius as she'd worked excitedly on his arm. She had been much better than Tony Stark and Bruce Banner ever had. He didn't doubt for one second that she would leave them in the dust when it came to her creations.

His arm itself was evidence. Black with thin gold lines running through it, it was surprisingly light and seemed to know what he wanted to do with it right as he thought of it. It was also powerful, the vibranium metal being so much stronger that any opponent he faced would have some serious injuries should he choose to fight.

It didn't work on itself though. He had learned that the hard way when the princess had suggested he try it out and he'd mistakenly tried to punch a Black Panther suit. The result had been him crashing into the opposite wall and finding out the princes had videotaped the whole experience.

Shaking his head he made his way down to the bottom levels of the palace where he met more members of the guard (how many were there?), who in turn escorted him out to the airfield.

There was already a Quinjet waiting for him on the airstrip and he relaxed slightly as he saw T'Challa waiting for him inside. In this stage advanced amazing place he was grateful to recognize at least one face even if it was a person he had a rocky relationship with.

"How was your visit to Shuri?"

He smirked slightly, "beside the arm she also showed me all her prototypes for weapons. If Wakanda were to be attacked their attackers would be deeply sorry when faced with your sisters creations."

The king laughed before grasping his hand, "I wish you good luck and fortune in your efforts to find and protect your friends. Some of them have missed you a lot and there might be a surprise waiting for you when you get there."

At Bucky's curious glance he merely shrugged, "I will not tell here, but let's just say that life is moving along for some of your friends."

Bucky had zero idea of what that was supposed to mean but he nodded anyways. Completing a quick check through of the jet he bade the king farewell before taking off down the runway to the sky.

It was only after he'd leveled off and was heading for New York that he heaved a sigh of relief. He was heading for his friends at last.


	12. Chapter 12: Can I Keep My Promise?

Four weeks.

That was how long it would take for Tony to finish updating the security systems in the facility. After that, Steve would leave her. And if Tony's time predictions were correct, than by the time he was back she would have two months before the baby would be born.

She shuddered slightly at the thought and felt a stirring in her belly. "It's okay honey." She murmured, "I'm just worried about your father. He'll be back in time for you don't worry."

There was a pause in the movements inside her before a hard kick made her frown, "I'm not happy about it either little one but I'm not the one leaving so don't take it out on me." There was a couple more kicks and an elbow before the baby settled down.

The door opened and Steve entered with a bowl of popcorn in one hand and a glass of water in the other. "Who were you talking to?"

She gestured to her belly, "the only other person in the room at the moment."

Steve grinned and handed her the popcorn, "what's going on in there?" He settled himself on the couch beside her and she glanced at him, "I don't think that baby approves you leaving. He's trying to take it out on me."

She rested her hands on the side of her stomach and grimaced slightly. Steve moves closer, "still kicking?" She nodded and he gently placed his hand on the top of her belly. "Little one, calm down for your mother please. She needs rest." There was one last kick before the movement stopped. Natasha smiled, "looks like the baby will actually listen to you."

He gave her a quick kiss before going back to the task of trying to figure out what to watch. After some arguing they settled on Harry Potter since neither had seen it and Clint and Sam had both recommended it.

As the opening scene happened Natasha started fidgeting.

"What is it?" Steve asked and she looked at him guiltily, "I was just going to get some ice cream."

He grinned, as she entered her nineteenth week her cravings were getting considerably stronger.

"I'll get it for you." He said standing up.

She frowned, "I can get get it myself."

He shook his head, "earlier you said your feet hurt, you should watch the movie and I'll get you your ice cream."

She sighed and nodded although inwardly she was thankful that he remembered her feet hurting. So far the baby was having no mercy on her back and feet.

By the time Steve returned the movie was already fifteen minutes in. "What took you so long?" She asked as he carefully made his way back over.

"I forgot what you liked so I improvised." He said somewhat ruefully as he handed her the bowl. He had put three scoops of mint with honey, caramel, and chocolate sauce. To top it all off there were rainbow sprinkles, something she was pretty sure _hadn't _been in their cupboards.

Because her sweet tooth had never been particularly strong she was a little skeptical at first. All it took was one bite though, and she was in heaven.

"This is so good! You should make this more often!" She exclaimed as she dug in.

He laughed and proudly watched as she devoured her snack. Knowing that she appreciated his help in her pregnancy was reassuring when things got rocky.

"So, can we do this again tomorrow?" Natasha asked hopefully as she set the now empty bowl on the table.

He shook his head, "no, we have to go over Tony's plans for the facility remember?"

She made a face, "ugh, I'd rather just stay here with you."

"It won't take long I promise." He said feeling guilty that they were doing something that she didn't want to do. "Than you can come back here and we can watch all the movies you want."

She grunted slightly, "sounds good, as long as you make more ice cream."

Laughing he drew her as close as he could manage without squishing the baby and kissed her. His promises were starting to pile up, and he was starting to suspect that he couldn't keep all of them.


	13. Chapter 13: The Soldier Comes Back

"Alright everyone, I'm probably gonna have to say this more than once but let's try to do it once!" Tony waved his arms and tried to get everyone's attention.

He had finished his work on the security of the Avengers facility and now he was ready to teach them about how to use it. Or, at least, _try _to use it.

"So! I installed several lockdown codes with varying stages of protection."

Natasha shivered at the word lockdown and Steve gave her a comforting smile.

"Now if we want the basic levels of lockdown say Point Break. It will cover all windows and lock all doors, that's all. The next level would be activated by saying Cover Me! Basically its Point Break with an added bonus of all the lights go out and all electricity is cut." He paused to make sure everyone was still following before he continued.

"Now the next level is only to be used in case it's a real emergency. To activate this one you say Fall Back." Tony's voice was becoming more and more serious as he delved deeper into the protocol.

"All elevators will stop, so will computers and phones, roads will be blocked and air space will be blocked. Armed drones will monitor the perimeter of the building as well as lockdown on the upper floors to make sure that all occupants can remain there and stay safe. Food and water is stored in each apartment and once this protocol is activated it will immediately tell me, Steve, Clint, and Maria Hill. Got it?" Everyone nodded and he exhaled. Looked like he would only have to say it once after all.

Natasha had a bad feeling in her stomach, "all this security is really serious? Is Tony really expecting that bad of an attack?"

Steve sighed, "Keep in mind that we got bombed twice and that since you're pregnant the Red Room will probably be more interested in you. After all you were supposed to be sterile." She nodded and chewed at her lip, "I hope that the Fall Back protocol never has to be used."

"Me too."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

*Four weeks later*

Something big was happening. He couldn't quite understand but everyone was leaving. There was a Quinjet in its landing spot and people were milling around. Squinting his eyes he made out none other than Tony Stark.

He felt pain surge through him as he thought of the last time they'd interacted. Each trying to kill the other simply because they'd been filled with too much pain to listen.

It was all his fault, because of him Steve had been forced away from Natasha Romanoff who he knew was very close to him. Glancing down at the metal arm on his left side he grimaced. That arm would always mark him as the assassin who was destined to be sought after and hunted down.

"Steve!" The shout made him look up as the Black Widow herself ran through the crowd. His eyes narrowed slightly, she was different. The way she ran and they way the others drew away from her made him think that something had happened.

She was wearing a thick coat and jeans despite the cool September air. But he was pretty sure that wasn't it.

Turning away he went back to his own jet to try and sort out his mind. It looked like his friends were leaving to go somewhere. A mission maybe but where?

Shortly after, the quiet roar of the Quinjet alerted him that the Avengers had left. He was deeply tempted to go after them but something stopped him.

A feeling maybe. Whatever it was he found it leading him back to the spot where he had been observing.

What he saw made him frown. Black Widow was still standing there, staring in the direction that the jet had gone in. What was she doing still here? His eyes narrowed, something was definitely off.

Unable to pinpoint it though he resigned himself to waiting and watching. When the time was write he would reveal himself.

But for now he would wait.


	14. Chapter 14: Sighted

**Sorry this took so long to update. More chapters coming soon **

Natasha hated this.

The waiting and not knowing if the others were alright. She felt restless and if it weren't for the baby she probably would have paced the entire length of the tower by now. Then again, if she wasn't pregnant than they wouldn't be having this problem.

Only the presence of Wanda and Clint, who had finally showed up, kept her from losing her mind.

"How're you feeling?" Speaking of Clint. He was watching her closely and she shifted slightly, "I'm fine." He raised an eyebrow, "why do I get the feeling that if it weren't for us, you would go after the others regardless of the baby?" She huffed, "you're probably right."

A hard kick to her insides made her wince slightly, "But I won't." Clint hid his smile and nodded approvingly. She sat still for maybe another minute before getting back for 'fresh air'.

In truth, once she was outside she got out her phone and checked for updates from Steve. He had promised to keep her updated and she was already antsy even though it had only been a day and a half since they'd left.

Her phone buzzed and she anxiously opened her messages. _Arrived safely. I miss you and baby already. Please get some rest and I'll be home before you know it._

Steve's worry for her made her tear up slightly. Putting down her phone she stared out over the lawn and towards the tree line. A second later and she was leaning forwards, her phone forgotten. Because she had sworn that she had just seen a flash of silver in the trees.

Carefully she surveyed the trees and tried to glimpse another flash of whatever had been down there. But the trees were silent and whatever had happened to reflect the light was gone.

Turning away from the balcony she ventured back indoors, feeling nervous. Whatever was out there, she had Clint, Wanda, Maria, Pepper, and herself to protect the baby. She was safe in here.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"The baby's feeling safe and happy." Wanda closed her eyes and concentrated as her red power flowed out of her.

Natasha shivered slightly as the red energy flowed past her skin and reached her child. She knew that Wanda meant no harm, and yet her power made her nervous. Taking a deep breath she watched curiously as the power seeped back out and returned to Wanda's hands.

"The baby is fine. It likes to listen to your heartbeat, it's puts it at ease." She opened her eyes and smiled at Natasha, "everything's healthy."

She smiled back, "good. Nice to know someone is listening to me. Even if that person is inside me."

Clint who had watched with interest, spoke up. "Do you know the gender?"

Wanda smiled and nodded, "yes, but if you do not want to know than I won't tell."

Natasha ignored Clint's puppy dog eyes, "Thanks, me and Steve were hoping it to be a surprise."

Clint harrumphed, "don't you want to know if you have a boy or a girl?" He had secretly wanted to know the gender so he could buy something nice for it but it looked like he was going to have to wait until he/she was born.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

He'd been spotted. He had been to careless in his walk if the perimeter and Black Widow had spotted him.

He spent the first six hours of the night watching carefully to make sure that no one was going to try and see who was out there. When no one came he relaxed a little bit. He would need to be more careful if he was to remain here.

Huddling deeper into his jacket he glanced around warily. Rather than dissipating the feeling of worry has grown deeper and he was even more on edge. Something was happening, and it was heading his way. He was sure of it.


	15. Chapter 15: I Missed You

One month later

"Clint!" Natasha walked carefully into the living room looking nervous. Clint looked up from his book, "yeah?" She took a deep breath, "where will the baby be born?"

He set down his book, "I assumed that you were going to a hospital, why?"

She took a couple deep breaths, "I just. It's. Look, the last time we were somewhere without four million layers of protection around us we got bombed. And somehow the baby wasn't hurt. But when I go into labor I can't run. It will be the perfect opportunity for anyone looking to hurt me and Steve." Her eyes were brimming with tears and she looked anxious.

Clint realized she was way more worried than he thought. "Nat, I understand why you would be scared I really do. And while I don't want to put you in a situation that makes you uncomfortable the baby can't be born here. If something went wrong it wouldn't be good."

She nodded and sank onto the couch wiping away her tears. "I'm scared Clint. What if something goes wrong?"

"Hey," Clint got up and sat next to her, "nothing will go wrong. You're stronger than a lot of people and if anyone could give birth to a baby it's you."

She smiled wetly, "thanks."

He nodded and stayed with her until she dozed off.

The next morning when she awoke Natasha immediately checked her messages. Steve hadn't talked to her since two days ago and she was worried.

It had been a little more than a month and they should have been back by now. Trying to ignore the anxiety growing in her gut she got out of bed and headed into the bathroom. It had become custom to go to the bathroom at least seven times a day and it looked like today was no exception.

The rest of her morning was uneventful and after prowling through the compound for a couple hours Clint and Wanda told her to go outside. Grabbing a blanket and a book she headed out onto her balcony to try and relax. Which was really just code for sleep.

She was sleeping so deeply that she missed the jet landing, missed Steve coming into the room calling her name, missed the fire opening and him stepping onto the balcony.

For a moment he just watched her breathe deeply. She must have been tired if he was able to get this far without waking her up.

She was sleeping when a pair of arms wrapped around her and hugged her tightly. Waking with a start she woke and peered upwards. "Steve?"

"I'm here." He whispered and rested his cheek against her forehead. "Where were you?" She mumbled into his shirt.

"I wanted to surprise you."

She yawned, "well it kinda worked. Did you get everything?"

There was a slight pause, "we think so but we're not totally sure. But you're going to be safe so don't worry."

She nodded and melted into him, "we missed you."

He kissed the top of her head and smiled, "I missed you guys too."


	16. Chapter 16: I Think My Water Broke

He was growing more and more concerned. The others had come back he knew but it had not dispelled any of the bad feelings towards that tower. He had taken to staying up later to try and catch any one person still there and a week later he was rewarded and his patience paid off. Besides being the Winter Soldier a ruthless assassin, he was also extraordinarily patient when it came to waiting someone or something out.

He had been comfortably settled against a tree trunk, his eyes sweeping the silent Avengers compound when he heard the low growl of an engine stopping. His eyes narrowed and he felt his senses heighten as he waited.

When nothing else happened he pushed himself up and went to investigate.

Inside the quiet compound things were going no better.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Natasha couldn't sleep. Beside her Steve was snoring gently and she envied the way he could just rest on his stomach, ache free and carefree.

And it wasn't just her aches that were keeping her up; the baby was active and using her insides as a personal punching bag. She felt hot and uncomfortable.

After a particularly sharp jab she sat up and managed to get to the side of the bed. Tying her hair back in a quick ponytail took care of her hot hair getting off her skin but what she needed was a nice warm drink that would settle both her and the baby down. "You really are just taking my stomach for granted aren't you?" She muttered as she padded into the kitchen.

When she flipped on the light she gasped in surprise, "Clint?! Why are you still awake?" Clint was slumped at the counter looking half asleep.

"Oh, hi, I was just, you know, working on files." He said quickly, nearly knocking his coffee mug off the counter as he sat up.

She stared at him for a second, "that is the worst lie I have ever heard Clint Barton."

He grimaced and watched as she got herself a mug and started making tea. "It's not important. Anyways, what are _you _doing up?"

"I can't sleep. My insides are being pummeled by my child."

Clint grimaced, "ah, Laura had the same thing happen to her and it was not fun when she got sleep deprived."

She glared at him, "well, maybe you should respect her more. Pregnancy is no joke."

He put up his hands, instantly backing down. "Alright, sorry." He gulped down the rest of his coffee and held out his mug as she poured herself some tea.

"Are you feeling better?" He asked, watching her carefully. She glanced at him and he elaborated, "how's your feelings on the hospital."

Shrugging she sipped her tea, "I still don't want to go but I also want the baby to be as safe as he can." She felt a twinge in her stomach and grimaced slightly. "Or she. We still don't know." The twinge happened again but sharper and she frowned.

"Everything okay?" Clint asked and she shook her head helplessly, "I'm not sure."

Putting down her mug she'd gotten two steps around the counter when she went pale as a sheet.

"Nat?" Clint was thoroughly alarmed now.

She looked at him fearfully and then down at her wet shorts. "I think my water just broke."

"What?!" He rushed to her side and sure enough, she had liquid running down her legs. "Aren't you early?"

"Yes!" Her heart was starting to race, "this can't be happening! We still had a month to prepare!" Her hands were on either side of her belly and she was freaking out.

"Hey," Clint moved closer, "it's going to be okay. The baby just decided to make its grand entrance a little bit earlier." She stared at him frantically, "but we don't have anything done! The nursery, the hospital bag, plans, they're all not done!"

He shook his head, "don't worry about that right now, for now just go wake up Steve and get your bag together. I'm here and Steve's here, this is all going to work out okay?"

She met his gaze and managed a shaky smile, "okay."

"Lets go get your stuff and your husband."

They'd gotten to the doorway when a rumble went through the ground. "What was that?" Natasha asked her worry skyrocketing again. "Probably nothing." Clint assured. Another two steps and the bombs went off.

All the lights shut off and objects rained down on them as the floor shook. Natasha screamed as she slipped and fell, her hands catching herself just in time. "Nat!" Clint shielded her as best he could from the things flying through the air. Only one thought registered in his mind as a bookcase came crashing down on them.

"We need to get you out of here!"


	17. Chapter 17: Natasha Meets Bucky (again)

Five minutes earlier...

He was hunting. His senses were on high alert and he felt his muscles tense as he silently slid through the trees. Movement caught his eye and he stiffened, his eyes sliding in the direction of whoever had moved. People were there he realized. Dressed in dark clothing with weapons were silently cutting through the trees towards the darkened compound.

He shadowed them quietly for a bit trying to figure out their objectives. When the person nearest to him stopped he stopped as well.

The man unslung his gun and motioned to the others to do the same. Bucky watched carefully as each loaded something into the chambers and took aim. They were aiming at the compound he realized. Where his friend was.

Lightning fast he lunged forwards, his metal arm smoothly catching the first man in the head. He managed to get another one while the shock of his surprise was still there but the third one managed to pull the trigger while he was fighting.

Bucky heard a faint whistling sound and then a loud crash. Looking up he grimaced when he noticed a side of the compound on fire.

Hearing shouts from the surrounding trees he set his jaw and ran back to the forest. He needed to find the rest of the attackers so his friend and his family could get out.

Back to the present

Steve had woken when Natasha started moving. Although he wanted to get up and comfort her he knew she would probably wave him away and insist that he rest. So he'd kept his eyes closed and remained still.

When the first bomb went off he fell off the bed with the shake that went through the bedroom. For a moment he lay on the carpet stunned, had they just gotten bombed?! He was roused from his shock when he heard a loud scream echo through the floor. One that chilled his blood.

"_Natasha."_

Scrambling to his feet he ran out of their room and towards the kitchen. More bombs went off and he could hear the sound of objects crashing and shattering as the building shook.

"Natasha!" He yelled frantically.

When he crashed into the hallway he immediately saw them. Clint was shielding her against the wall while she flinched away from the objects crashing down.

"Nat!" He reached her side and grabbed her arm quickly scanning her for injuries, "are you okay?!"

Clint gave him a frantic look, "we need to get her out of here! Her water broke, the baby's coming!"

"What?" Steve wasn't sure he'd heard him right, "but aren't you a month early?"

"Yes!" Natasha wailed, tears streaking down her face. "It's to early for him to be coming! I must have done something wrong and now I put us in danger." Her breaths were coming in quick gasps and Steve grasped her hands tilting her chin to look at him.

"Hey, it's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong, you did your best and baby decided it from there. Besides, it's my fault that we're in this situation. We didn't make sure that all the groups were destroyed." He kissed her forehead, "you'll be okay. But you gotta move alright?"

She managed a shaky nod and with Clint's help they got her to her feet and out of the wrecked living room.

"Wait!" They looked at Natasha who was listening intently, "people are here." She breathed. "Fall Back! JARVIS activate Fall Back protocol." There was a slight pause and then there was a creaking as the building started to lock down.

"Good idea." Clint commentated and she nodded wordlessly.

Steve turned to Clint who was looking apprehensively at the sheets of concrete sliding over the windows. "Clint, take Nat and go to down the stairwell. Get her into the forest and away from her quickly alright?" He ordered and his friend nodded.

"What?" Natasha shook her head, "you need to come too! It's your baby as well."

He shook his head, "Natasha, I need to fight. Tony, Wanda, and Pepper can't do it on their own. Clint will take care fo you and get you out of here okay? He won't let anything happen to the baby alright?"

She looked upset but nodded and allowed herself to be led away by Clint.

Breathing a quick sigh of relief Steve watched them disappear down the stairwell before racing back to the apartment to grab his shield. It was time to go find the others and fight off the attackers bent on getting to his wife and unborn child.

Natasha's P.O.V.

They hurried down the stairs as fast as her stomach would allow. Already she could feel the subtle aches of what felt like contractions rippling through her back and lower stomach. She was scared to put it plainly. Scared that these remnants of the Red Room would get her and her baby and she'd never see Steve again.

A door burst open below them and she skidded to a stop crouching down as best she could beside Clint.

There was a beat of silence and then two familiar woman burst into the stairwell, one holding Clint's bow and arrows.

"Wanda!"

They both looked up and relief flooded their faces as they saw the two huddled on the stairs. "There you are! We wondered if you'd gotten hurt." Wanda exclaimed in relief before Pepper stopped her. "Wait, where's Steve?"

Natashas eyes filled with tears, "he said that he would stay behind to fight while Clint got me out."

"That sounds smart." Pepper said and glanced at Clint who was eyeing the bow and arrows. "Clint why don't you go join Tony. He's two floors down, they've gotten the control and security rooms. It's just him." Clint nodded and with a quick murmured word of reassurance to Natasha he quickly ran down the stairs and towards the fighting.

Natasha grunted slightly as a more painful contraction hit her abdomen. Wanda knelt beside her and let her power flow out. Concentrating fiercely she closed her eyes as she felt the baby's movements. "The baby's anxious," she murmured, "it can feel your high heartbeat and is scared by it. It senses that something is not quite right." She let her power fade and met Natasha's eyes, "you need to go, the baby will need to be born somewhere safe. Somewhere far away from here."

Natasha nodded, "I know." Struggling to her feet she took a couple of steps, "I can do it."

Wanda nodded and took her elbow. "I'll take her, Pepper you go up and help Steve." With a curt nod Pepper raced up the stairs and towards Steve.

Wanda carefully helped Natasha down the stairs and towards the exits. At one point they passed the area that Clint and Tony were fighting in. They could hear blasts and shouts as their friends desperately held off the attackers.

They were five flights down when a sharper pain pierced Natasha and she cried out, coming to a stop.

"Nat!" Wanda turned back and one glance told her that the baby was on its way. "Can you move?"

She groaned and felt the contractions stab deeper, "I- I think so." She'd just moved away from the wall when a loud crash above them made them look up. Shouts were echoing down towards them and they could hear footsteps thundering down towards them. Even as they watched black clothed men came into view headed straight for them.

"It's too late." Natasha panted and Wanda turned to her, torn. She'd promised Clint that she would get Natasha out of here but at the same point they wouldn't get far if they both ran.

"Wanda," Natasha said quietly, "fight, I'll be okay. I know where to go."

"Are you sure?" She asked worriedly and she nodded, "I'm sure, I just need as much time as you can give me."

With a determined nod Wanda set her jaw and her power came to life in powerful waves that flickered around her fingertips.

Natasha shivered slightly but turned and made her way down the stairs. Her heart was thudding and she could feel painful contractions shooting through her. It was way more painful than anything she'd every experienced before and that included torture and multiple gunshot wounds.

There was a loud thud and a wave of energy came pulsing down the stairs. Chancing a glance behind her she caught sight of Wanda who was holding her own against the large amounts of assassins trying to get past.

Swallowing Natasha shoved open the door and stumbled out into the night. It wasn't really any better outside. Debris was strewn everywhere and a fire had claimed parts of the trees.

Coughing, she somehow made it to the tree line and turned back to the compound. Half of it was on fire and as she watched red energy blew out the stairwell windows.

"Steve." She whispered watching the carnage being inflicted on her home.

A twig snapped behind her.

She whirled around, her mind instantly going to the best way to get herself away safely. But when she saw who it was, every reasonable thought fled her head. Standing before her was the Winter Soldier.

"You!" She exclaimed shocked.

"You." He repeated just as surprised to see her. Then he looked down, "I see why you were the only one to get out."

She glared at him, "that doesn't matter! You need to help the others right now!"

His eyebrows raised slightly, "and who will help you?"

"No one?"

He shook his head, "you're too close to birth to be alone right now. I'll come with you." He extended a hand towards her.

If it was announced that the Accords had never happened, Natasha wouldn't have been more surprised. All she could do was stare at him silently. Well, for a few seconds anyways. A contraction stabbed through her and she shuddered slightly, softly groaning.

"We don't have time for this!" Bucky grabbed her arm and pulled her through the woods towards some unknown destination.

In normal circumstances Natasha would have had a few things to say about the Winter Solider, who had _shot _her leading her through the forest at night. But this was different, he was looking to help her this time not hurt her. And even though she still didn't know a hundred percent _why _she was just going to have to trust him on it.


	18. Chapter 18: What Are You Doing Here!

***I'm back! So sorry there was such a long wait in between chapters but I'm back with more chapters and ****will ****post again soon. Hope you enjoy!***

Steve swung his shield into the head of an intruder and watched satisfied as he dropped. After a quick scan of the place he realized that he had taken out a pretty big majority of the Red Room thugs and that the floor was pretty much empty.

Without a second thought he ran for the stairwell hoping that he wouldn't find Natasha still in the building. He was so preoccupied that he nearly crashed into Wanda and Pepper who were running up the stairs towards him.

"Steve! You're okay!" Wanda exclaimed in relief and he nodded frowning, "where's Nat?"

Pepper was quick to answer, "there were too many people so we sent her on alone while we held them off."

He stared at them for a moment, "where is she now?!"

Pepper could only shake her head while Wanda closed her eyes, once again letting the familiar red energy flow out. Steve knew she was casting out her power to try and find Natasha and he waited with bated breath.

Finally she opened her eyes again, "they're in the woods and moving fast. Natasha is getting close to birth and both of them are starting to feel the stress."

Steve nodded and quickly ran past them hoping upon hope he could get to her in time.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Natasha was in too much pain to really do anything except brace herself against the seat of the car and hope she could make it. Beside her the Winter Soldier was looking just as anxious as she felt.

"Are you okay?" He asked tentatively and she opened her eyes, glaring at him.

"No I am not fucking okay! My husband is still back there somewhere and the baby is about to be born!" She would have said more had a painful contraction not silenced her.

"Husband?" He looked thoughtful, "this was not what I was expecting at all when I came back."

Natasha snorted but kept silent. Her fingernails dug into the seat of the car and she sensed rather than saw Bucky's wince.

"New car?"

He shrugged, "found it nearby, reinforced it, and hid it. Finally putting it to good use." He winced as her fingernails dug in deeper to the seat.

The next second all thoughts of the ruined seat were driven from his mind as something large and heavy fell onto the top of the car with a loud thud. Natasha screamed and Bucky jerked the wheel as for a brief moment his mind flashed to the screams of his targets.

Then his mind cleared and he slammed on the brakes. Natasha let out another shriek as the window cracked under the pressure. "What the hell was that?!" She yelled.

Bucky shook his head, "how am I supposed to know?" Reaching back he grabbed a gun. "I'm going out."

"Give me a gun!" She demanded. He shook his head.

"You're pregnant."

"I'm a Black Widow I don't care if I'm pregnant, give me a gun!"

They stared at each other for a second before he sighed and tossed her a gun. Almost immediately the thing that had made him swerve leapt back up onto the hood of the car. Swearing he lifted his gun and fired through the windshield.

"Quick!" He yelled to Natasha, "come over here, this car is an easy place to get trapped in."

Natasha shuddered but nodded and heaved herself over the console to his seat. Taking a deep breath he shoved the door open and the two stumbled out into the night.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Steve had used Wanda's powers. He hadn't wanted to, but she had insisted and finally he gave in. His mind was still reeling from the sensation of flying when he crashed onto the hood of the car. The one that had Nat in it. Almost immediately the car swerved and he could hear faint yells and then, a scream. Not just anyone's though. He would recognize Natasha's voice anywhere.

The car braked and he was thrown headfirst into a bush. Recovering quickly he jumped back onto the hood of the car only to be met with gunfire through the windshield. He was thankful he'd thought to bring his shield with him instead of leaving it with Pepper and Wanda.

The car door burst open and he was taken aback as two people scrambled out. With all the ruckus he'd been expecting many people.

"Stop!" He commanded trying to appear as non threatening as he could. It seemed to work, the pair slammed to a standstill and faced him.

Then Natasha let out a gasp of recognition and stumbled towards him, dropping the gun she had been holding.

"Steve! Thank god!"

Relief flowed through him as she reached him and he gave her a careful once over; looking for any injury of any kind. Once he was sure she wasn't hurt he wrapped her up into a tight hug.

"Next time you're staying with me." She murmured into his shirt.

He was about to respond when the other person finally decided to speak up.

"Sorry to interrupt this lovely get together but um, your wife is in labor and I also would prefer to get through the night without being shot."

Steve's hands clenched and his head shot up.

"Bucky?! What the hell are you doing here?! And how did you find Natasha?"

Bucky snorted, "first of all you guys were in trouble and I came to help. Second of all, your wife was not at subtle about running in a forest at midnight. It's a wonder she didn't get caught before I found her."

Natasha bristled, "excuse me? I was a little preoccupied by the _bombs _destroying my home to really watch out for people. Besides, I'm a Black Widow, I'm pretty sure that I know how to fight."

He shrugged and cast a doubtful look at her stomach. She could say anything, he was still going to doubt her.

She bristled angrily, she could defend herself!

"Natasha, we need to get you to a hospital immediately." Steve said, bringing her back to the present.

"Good- good idea." She commented as yet another contraction made itself known.

"Is the car still usable?" Steve asked Bucky. It was still a shock to see his friend standing before him but he needed to concentrate on Natasha right now.

Bucky nodded and went back to the car, quickly getting it started and back onto the main path that he had been originally following.

Steve carefully helped Natasha into the back and held her hand as they started moving.

"You alright?"

She gave him a tight smile, "Ask me that again in a few hours and then I'll answer."

***Bucky finally met the others and next chapter there will be a baby!***


	19. Chapter 19: Natasha has her baby

When the Avengers showed up to the hospital they almost gave the nurse a heart attack. To be fair they did make for a pretty horrendous looking bunch. They were all covered in a mixture of ash, blood, and dust. Plus Clint still had his bow, Wanda still had red energy pulsing around her, and they were all in a state of half pajamas, half battle outfit.

Still, they were familiar faces in an unfamiliar setting and Steve was grateful that they had managed to get there under such short notice. Especially since the last he'd seen them they had been fighting against top notch assassins.

"How is she?" Pepper asked as he met them in the waiting room

"She's...being her usual self, just more aggressive."

Tony snorted, "that sounds like our Natasha all right."

"How are you guys? I didn't exactly leave you in the best spot."

"We were fine. There sure were a lot though. But we got all of them so Nat can have her baby in peace."

Steve let some of his worry go. That was one more bad thing out of the way.

"So what do you think Rogers? Boy or girl?" Tony held up two hats, one with a red hourglass and one with his shield on it.

"We heard about your guys's debate so we got these. The correct parent can have their symbol with the baby, plus fifty dollars."

Wanda rolled her eyes, "the betting was purely Stark's idea."

Steve laughed, touched that his friends had done this sweet gesture.

"Thank you, I don't know what to say." Reaching out he touched the small hats and felt both frightened and overjoyed that soon he and Natasha would have a family together.

"Mr. Rogers?" The nurses voice had him crashing back down to Earth pretty fast.

"What is it? Is everything alright?"

The nurse looked worried, "your wife is asking for you. I think you better go."

Steve nodded and then looked at his friends who looked both worried and excited.

"Um, you guys can come up with me I guess..."

"No we can stay here for the time being, you go to Natasha." Pepper shooed him away and gratefully he hurried for the elevators.

•••

When he got to the room he had a couple of seconds to get inside before Natasha was stumbling towards him, crying.

"I can't do this," she whispered, "I'm not good enough, I'll do something wrong I just know it." Her breaths were fast and she sounded panicky as she clung to him.

"Hey, hey, shh. You're going to be alright, you can do this. You just ran from our home in labor, most woman can't do that." He stroked her hair and guided her back to the bed.

"Besides, I'm going to be with you the whole way. If something bad happens I'll be here."

Lifting her tear stained face she looked at him, "really?"

"Of course."

Smiling a bit she managed a few deep breaths before letting out a small whimper.

"You okay?" He asked, worried he hadn't convinced her enough.

"I'm fine, it just hurts, a lot." She bit her lip and gripped his hand tightly as the contraction seared through her.

"Do you need anything?"

Burying her face in his shoulder she let out a groan, "I want the baby to come out of me. Oh god, it hurts a lot."

Steve rubbed her back, trying to help her pain. After a bit she relaxed slightly and wiped the hair out of her eyes, "it's over."

Nodding he started to take his hands away when she shook her head.

"No wait, could you just, continue doing that?"

"Anything for you." He murmured and kissed her head, "try to sleep a bit, you're obviously tired."

Rolling her eyes at him she made a face. Nonetheless she closed her eyes and very quickly her breathing grew deeper. Smiling he laughed to himself, despite her pain she was still her usual self.

Getting up, he tucked the sheet around her and then headed back out to update the others.

They were situated in the waiting room outside of Natasha's room. When he exited they all got quickly to their feet.

"Everything good?" Wanda asked and he nodded.

"Just a bit freaked out."

"Well," Tony started, "you can't really blame her. A small human being is coming out of her

and- ow!" He rubbed his arm and looked reproachfully at Pepper.

"What was that for?"

She glared at him, "can't you just be quiet for one moment?"

"So, the reason I came back out." Steve interrupted, before things could escalate between the two. "Was that I think she might be close so if I don't come back out it's probably because something serious is happening."

Clint nodded and gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder, "don't worry Steve, she'll be alright."

Exhaling he managed a shaky smile in return, "I certainly hope so."

•••

"You know I was thinking and I realized we don't have a nursery." Natasha's voice shook him from his dozing and he looked at her sleepily.

"What did you say?"

"I was saying we don't have a nursery. Or clothes, or anything really."

Steve yawned, "well, where do you think Bucky is right now?"

Her eyes narrowed and she frowned, "what do you mean?"

"We had a nursery at the compound all set up. It was what Clint was working on every night. But Pepper had the good idea to set up another nursery at Tony's house. She said that we might want a more private place to stay at and she and Tony won't mind having three more people with them."

"So that's why Clint was so tired." Natasha said thoughtfully. "Huh, that's so nice of them."

"Mmhm." Steve set his head back on the mattress and she curled back into him. Holding each other, they drifted back off to sleep.

Clint spotted them on his way back from the bathroom.

Pausing he stopped to observe them. Both curled into each other on the mattress. Steve with his arm protectively over Natasha's stomach. Instinctively protecting his child, even in his sleep. Shaking his head he continued back to his spot. Those two were perfect for each other.

•••

Steve awoke to the nurse entering the room.

Getting out of bed he watched as they checked on the baby.

"Is everything okay?" Natasha asked worriedly.

"Yup, your baby is looking fine and pretty soon they'll be here!" The nurse exclaimed, less cheerfully than Steve wanted.

Still, it seemed to work on Natasha, "thank god, I just want this to over." Dragging a hand over her eyes she rubbed her stomach. "You're certainly enjoying it in there."

While she talked to the baby Steve excused himself and went after the nurse.

"Is everything really good?" He asked after catching up with her. She let out a sigh.

"Right now, yes. But her dilation has seemed to stop at eight centimeters. Ideally we would want ten before asking her to push. Since her water already broke we want the baby to come out as soon as possible so we can avoid an infection."

"And if it doesn't get to ten quick enough?" Steve waited with bated breath.

"We're going to have to do a C-section. Over the next few hours we're going to watch for signs of stress on the baby and hopefully she can dilate a bit more."

Steve nodded and watched as she walked away. He knew from articles online that a C-section meant surgery. Just the thought of it made him feel sick and he quickly returned to Natasha's room.

"What were you talking to her about?" Natasha asked as soon as he got back into the room.

"Oh I was just asking her if the others were okay to stay in the waiting room out there. We do have quite a big bunch." The lie slipped off his tongue easily. He felt bad at lying to her but at the same time didn't want to stress her and cause any scene.

Climbing back onto the bed beside her he held her close, hoping she would dilate soon.

•••

Be careful what you wish for.

Two hours later Natasha's hand connected with his nose and he let out a yelp as he jerked awake and smacked his head against the headboard.

Eyes watering he peered at her confused. The next second he was out of the bed hitting the button for the nurse.

Natasha was on her side, eyes closed as she trembled from the contractions. Sweat glistened on her forehead and on the heart monitor he could see her heart rate accelerating.

"Tasha, what's going on?" He asked anxiously.

She clenched his hand in a death grip, "I think the baby is coming."

"Okay, don't worry the nurse is coming right now." He rubbed her back again and waited for the nurse to come back.

When she did, she immediately checked her and announced her at ten centimeters. Pretty soon there were people flooding into the room and Steve watched anxiously as they prepped the room for delivery.

"Okay, when I say push you gotta push as hard as you can for ten seconds and then you can have a breather alright?" The nurse instructed Natasha and she nodded.

"Alright everyone, let's do this!"

And so it began.

Steve was, as promised, right beside Natasha the whole time. He held her hand and whispered encouragement as she struggled to bring their child into the world.

Slowly morning turned into early afternoon and as things progressed (slowly) Natasha got more and more tired.

It was during a break that she started to really feel it.

She was breathing harder and her eyes were closed as she tried to summon some last moment strength.

"Steve?"

He looked down, "yeah?"

"I'm so tired."

"I know, but just a little bit more and then you can get all the rest you want."

Nodding, she opened her eyes again and got ready to push again. It didn't last long.

"I- I can't. I'm too tired, I can't do this!"

Tears were on her cheeks and she struggled to breathe between panting and sobs.

"Natasha," Steve said softly, "Tasha look at me."

Meeting her watery gaze he continued, "Tasha you are one of the strongest woman I know. And yes, I say it a lot but it's true. You went through hell and came out on top, you've done so many incredible things and gone through so much. I know you're tired and in pain. And if I could I would take it all, but I can't. You just need to push two more times and it'll be over."

Taking a shaky breath she bit her lip, "promise?"

"I promise."

She nodded and as the nurse started counting she pushed again. She threw everything she had into those last two pushes. With a final splitting pain she collapsed back onto the pillows.

"Please tell me I'm done." She panted.

"Natasha?" Steve's voice was softer than she'd ever heard it.

"Hmm?"

"Look down."

She looked down just in time for the nurse to lift a small bundle onto her chest. No sooner had they done it did it open it's mouth and let out a cry.

She gasped and felt tears start to blur her vision as she held her baby to her chest for the first time.

"You did it, oh my god you did it." Steve said trying to wipe away his tears and hug her at the same time. "I'm so proud of you."

"Congratulations you two! You have a healthy baby daughter."

Daughter. They'd had a girl.

"Hello there little one," she said softly as her daughter whimpered, "I've been dying to meet you, you know that?"

Looking up at Steve she grinned and he would be lying if he said she wasn't the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

"I told you you could do it."

Laughing she held her baby closer and closed her eyes tightly, "I did it." She whispered softly, "I really did it."


	20. Chapter 20: Clint & Bucky meet the baby

Clint was very very close to his breaking point. Natasha was having her baby at this very moment and here he was watching his idiotic friends.

"For the last time, how did you guys do this?" He snapped as he watched Tony trying to free himself.

"He told me I couldn't steal from the vending machine so I told him to do it. Once he stuck his hand up the slot I stuck him there." Wanda said calmly. More calmly than Clint wanted.

"Tell her to let me go!" Tony begged. He jerked his hand again but the metal twisting around his fingers was too tight.

Clint ran his hands over his eyes.

"Wanda," he started calmly, "will you please just let him go?"

She shook her head stubbornly, "he deserves it."

"Guys! Natasha- woah. What happened here?" Bruce looked confused as he took in the scene. Tony with his arm in the vending machine while Wanda sat nearby reading a magazine. He took one look at the murderous look on Clint's face and knew not to push it.

"Um, never mind, I don't need to know. What I was going to say was Natasha had her baby!"

"What?!" All three of them immediately forgot the problem and looked eagerly at Bruce.

"Is it a girl?" Tony demanded.

He smiled, "come see for yourself."

Clint took off at a run with Wanda close behind him. As Wanda got distracted her hold on the metal trapping Tony loosened. He pulled himself free and hurried after them.

When they got there Steve met them at the door, practically bursting with pride.

"Did she do it? Is she alright?" Clint instantly demanded. Because if she wasn't he was going to-

"Oh she's great! Better than great!"

Clint raised an eyebrow, Steve was practically vibrating from joy.

"Can I come in?"

"Of course! Although, maybe just one at a time because she is still pretty tired."

Clint laughed. Had he been single he would have felt annoyed at this new bossiness. However as a father to three kids he knew just what it felt like to have a new little human in his life.

Quickly following him in he almost immediately saw her. Well, the littler her.

"Clint!" Natasha exclaimed. She grinned at him, "you came!"

"Of course I came, there was no way I could miss out on my best friend becoming a mother. Now you can join me and Laura in the sleepless nights club."

"Hey! I want at least another couple of hours of bliss before you start telling me about your kids as babies." She joked.

Shrugging, he moved to her side and paused as he saw the baby. Glancing up at Steve he nodded.

"She looks like you both."

And she did. She was small like, her mother, with the same nose but the bright blue eyes and mouth were purely Steve.

Bending over he smiled at her.

"Hey there little one. I'm Clint, the better uncle, so don't let Tony tell you otherwise."

Natasha rolled her eyes at the same time her daughter made a little grunt of displeasure.

Clint laughed, he couldn't help it. Like mother like daughter.

After a couple of minutes of talking to Natasha he decided it was time to take his leave. Everyone was bound to be pretty tired by the whole ordeal and he wanted the new parents to have some time together before the rest of the Avengers came in.

Quietly exiting he filled everyone else of the good news and informed them that they should wait before going to see their newest addition.

•••

It was during the night he returned.

He didn't especially want to go to into a brightly lit building with lots of people in it but Natasha was worth the sacrifice.

Slipping through the halls he managed to get up to the level she was on unnoticed. When he reached the common room he felt an unexpected smile tug his lips up. The rest of the Avengers were all there, asleep on and around the furniture.

Quietly he went around them and entered the room Steve had told him she would be in. He saw her almost immediately. She was still awake despite the late hour and as he watched she gently rocked her baby.

He must have made some sort of noise though because she looked up. Spotting him she smiled.

"I wondered where you were."

He moved further into the room, "I didn't want to intrude."

"Nonsense. You're always welcome."

Raising his eyebrow at the last sentence he changed the subject.

"I see you've had your baby. Is it a girl or a boy?"

Natasha wasn't fooled by the subject change. Still, she couldn't resist showing off her new daughter.

"She's a girl. Here." Beckoning him closer she held her out to him.

His eyes widened as he took in what she wanted him to do.

"I can't do that."

"Yes you can. Don't worry she's tougher than she looks."

"Like her mother." He murmured but still refused to take her.

"Come on, you won't hurt her, I know you."

The baby, growing colder began to whimper and Bucky looked panicked as her small face scrunched up with displeasure.

Natasha gave him a stern look, "you have to do this soon before you wake up Steve."

Bucky hesitated for a second more before finally scooping up the small unhappy bundle. Holding her delicately he stared at her and then looked anxiously at Natasha when she continued to whimper.

"You have to take her back!" He whispered frantically.

She shook her head, "No! Just talk to her and rock her."

Bucky, looking extremely uncomfortable, thought quickly before carefully lifting her up and whispering something into her ear.

Gradually her cries grew quieter and she stared up at him with interest.

Natasha was impressed, "what did you say?"

"I told her she needed to be quiet or else her father would wake up and then her mother would be disappointed."

She glared. "Uh huh, at least she likes you or else you would be dead."

Shrugging he returned his gaze back down in time to see her reach out a small hand that, coincidentally, rested on his metal arm.

Rocking her he watched as her eyelids slid closed and she went back to sleep.

This time when he offered her back to Natasha, she gratefully took her back.

He smiled as she fussed over her for a second before relaxing and settling her in close to her side.

"You're a natural at being a mother." He said.

Looking up she made a face, "maybe. But you'd be a good father, the way you talk to her calmed her instantly."

His expression, which had been soft, hardened slightly and he turned away slightly.

"Have you picked a name?" He asked stiffly.

She watched him sadly. When would he realize he wasn't just the assassin that Hydra had made him to be?

"I have, do you want to hear it?"

He looked tempted for a moment before looking over at Steve. Considering him for a long moment he turned back to her and shook his head.

"You should tell her father first."

And then he was gone.


	21. Chapter 21: Endings

The day Natasha was released from the hospital was one of the most chaotic days the Avengers had experienced.

Not only did they have to juggle the cars and getting everyone satisfied but they also had to avoid the crowds who had found out Captain America and Black Widow had a daughter.

By the time they all made it to Tony's house and met up with Bucky, everyone was tired. Especially the baby.

Natasha soothed her as Steve helped her to the nursery Pepper had designed for them.

When they opened the door they both stood shocked. Natasha couldn't help but tear up a little as she saw the interior.

"Oh wow." She whispered.

There was everything that they could need. A crib and dressers, already fully stocked with diapers and clothes. A rocking chair was in the corner and soft rugs were on the floor. The whole room was done in soft grey and white, something Natasha appreciated. To her the stereotypical pink was annoying.

"This is perfect." She murmured as she ventured further into the room.

Steve nodded and he hugged her close, careful not to squash the baby.

"I love you Natasha Romanoff." He whispered, kissing her forehead.

She grinned up at him. "I love you too Steve Rogers."

Steve kisses her again before carefully taking the baby. Holding her up he looked at her bright blue eyes and kissed her on the tip of her nose.

"And I love you Ruby James Rogers."

Natasha felt overwhelming happiness at hearing Steve say their daughters name for the first time. She'd told him when they had arrived and he had nearly exploded from happiness.

Hearing a creak at the doorway Natasha glanced over her shoulder. Bucky was watching them, eyes wide.

Meeting them she nodded. She had deliberately given her daughter Buckys first name. If he didn't believe that he was good enough for them she was showing him he was.

After a minute of hesitation he finally entered the room and went straight to Steve.

"Congratulations Steve." He said quietly.

Steve looked up and his smile increased tenfold. "Hey Buck, how are you?"

Bucky managed a tentative smile as he saw Ruby.

"I'm good," he said, "better than ever actually."

Steve managed a one armed hug around him. "Glad to hear that."

Bucky shrugged, "well, I'm home."

Watching Steve and Bucky talk was something Natasha couldn't help but feel proud of. This was her family. Sure they were a little dysfunctional at times but they were still a team. She might have been deprived of a family when she was younger but now as she stood watching her husband hold her daughter while talking to his best friend she felt a sense of peace.

This was her family and she couldn't ask for a better one.

**And that's it! The end to this story. Thank you to everyone for liking and staying with me to the end, especially to those of you who left a review or messaged me, you were all so kind and supportive. I will for sure continue writing, whether it continues to be Romanogers or not, it will still be Marvel, and I hope everyone will like it.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**Anna**


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